Common bean performance in intercropping corn - common bean in no tillage system - DOI: 10.4025/actasciagron.v26i3.1827

Abstract

Intercropping is a common practice in the majority of the small farms in Brazil. Most of corn and common bean are cropped in intercropping system. This study was developed during two years in order to evaluate the productive efficiency of intercropping corn - common bean, using different populations of plants in relation to monocropping system. A randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Intercropping influenced all agronomic characteristics of common bean, mainly the number of pods plant^-1. The characteristics less affected were the number of grains pod^-1 and the weight of 100 grains. The population of 125,000 common bean plants ha^-1 produced more in the smaller population of corn (30,000 plants ha^-1). However, the population of 250,000 common bean plants ha^-1 fitted better to intercropping and it developed well in the two populations of corn plants (30,000 and 50,000 plants ha^-1)