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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Optimising baby corn-green gram intercropping through spatial arrangement for enhanced productivity and soil health

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13396
Submitted
27 December 2025
Published
12-08-2026

Abstract

Intercropping cereals with legumes can mitigate moisture and nutrient stress while enhancing system productivity and soil health. Optimal crop geometry is crucial in such systems for efficient resource use. A field experiment was conducted during the zaid season of 2022 at the College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGS-AS) experimental farm, (Central Agricultural University, Imphal), Umiam, to evaluate the effect of different planting arrangements of baby corn (Zea mays L.) and green gram (Vigna radiata L.) on growth, yield and post-harvest soil fertility under North Eastern Hill (NEH) conditions. The study followed a randomised block design (RBD) with 8 treatments: sole baby corn (T1), sole green gram (T2), 1:1 additive series (T3), 1:1 replacement series (T4), 1:2 additive series (T5), 2:2 paired row planting (T6), 2:2 additive series (T7) and 3:3 strip planting (T8), each replicated thrice. Planting patterns significantly influenced growth, physiological traits, yield components, grain and stover yields and harvest index. Among treatments, 3:3 strip planting (T8) was the most productive and resource-efficient, with superior competition indices and biological efficiency. While sole green gram (T2) enhanced residual soil fertility the most, T3 and T5 intercropping systems were comparable. The 3:3 strip arrangement also offered the highest economic returns and resource-use efficiency, suggesting it as a suitable strategy for summer cultivation in Meghalaya, where land often remains fallow during this season.

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