Impact of maize-groundnut intercropping system on growth and yield as influenced by phosphorus, potassium and sulphur fertilisation

Maize, the versatile cereal, can be grown under several cropping systems irrespective of the growing season. As a widely spaced crop, it offers an ample scope for the temporal intensification of the cropping system by adopting intercropping. Maize is a nutrient-draining crop and a considerable quantity of nutrients is to be provided for the proper growt and development. Under an intensive cropping system, besides primary nutrients, sulphur (S) has become an inevitable nutrient. However, the research on maize + legume intercropping systems with nutrient management is meagre. Based on the above facts, a field experiment on maize + groundnut with varied levels of phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and S was conducted at P. G. Research Farm of the Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha, in the Rabi season of 2024-25. The trial was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. The main plot treatments were three intercropping systems, namely, maize (uniform row) + groundnut (1:1), maize (paired row) + groundnut (2:2) and maize (paired row) + groundnut (2:3), and the subplot treatments comprised four nutrient levels such as 100% recommended dose (RD) of P, K, and S, 125% RD of P, K and S, 150% RD of P, K and S, and 0% RD of P, K and S (control). The experimental results revealed that maize + groundnut intercropping system performed well in the expression of growth parameters of crops, grain yield (6136kg/ha) and stover yield of maize (9200kg/ha) and pod yield (1307kg/ha) and haulm yield (2313kg/ha) of groundnut with 150% RD of P, K and S. Among intercropping systems, maize + groundnut (2:2) registered the highest grain yield of maize (5853kg/ha), while the mixed stand of maize + groundnut (2:3) recorded the highest pod yield (1319kg/ha). In terms of the competition functions, the maize + groundnut (2:2) intercropping system recorded the highest LER (1.53) and ATER (1.46) under the nutrient level of 150% RD of P, K and S, which indicated superior spatial and temporal land use efficiency over other intercropping systems. Based on the above findings, the study concluded that maize paired row + groundnut (2:2), along with 150% RD of P, K, and S can be the most suitable treatment combination for achieving higher productivity and land use efficiency.