Vol. 11, Special Issue 10 (2022)

A field experiment was carried out at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, GKVK, Bengaluru, Karnataka during kharif season of 2014 and 2016 to study the effect of crop geometry in maize based intercropping system. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. There were ten treatments consisting of sole maize (60 cm x 30 cm); sole maize (paired row system-30/90 cm); maize (60 cm x 30 cm) + guar; maize (60 cm x 30 cm) + frenchbean; maize (paired row system-30/90 cm) + guar; maize (paired row system-30/90 cm) + frenchbean; maize (paired row system-30/90 cm) + frenchbean + second intercrop-horsegram along with sole crops of guar, frenchbean and horsegram. The results revealed that significantly higher kernel yield of maize (5484 kg ha-1) was obtained in maize (paired row system-30/90 cm) + frenchbean than maize (60 x 30 cm) + guar / frenchbean additive intercropping and it was on par with the sole maize with 30/90 cm paired row system. Significantly higher light absorption ratio (68.98) was observed in frenchbean and lower light absorption ratio (65.20) was received with paired row planting (30/90 cm) of maize + guar intercropping system. LER, maize equivalent yield, net returns and B:C ratio were also higher in maize (paired row system-30/90 cm) + frenchbean additive intercroppong (1.43, 13419 kg ha-1, ₹ 142048 ha-1 and 3.61, respectively) than in maize (60 x 30 cm) + guar/frenchbean additive intercropping. Maize + frenchbean in paired row system (30/90 cm) was superior over all other treatment combinations.