Advancing Intercropping of Drought-Resistant Oilseed Crops: Mechanized Harvesting

Adverse climatic dynamics in recent years have intensified the need for resilient and multifunctional agricultural systems that integrate productivity, ecological sustainability, and socio-economic viability. This study evaluates the harvesting performance of three cropping systems: intercropping of cardoon and safflower (IT) and monocultures of cardoon (DC) and safflower (DS). Field trials were conducted during three following growing seasons to assess key harvesting parameters, including working speed, effective field capacity, harvesting costs, biomass yield, seed yield, seed losses, and seed moisture content. DC demonstrated the better performance, with a working speed of 6.35 ha h−1 and a field capacity of 2.56 ha h−1, also resulting in the lowest harvesting cost (EUR 70.24 ha−1). In contrast, IT exhibited the lowest performance and the highest cost (EUR 98.61 ha−1). DS achieved the highest effective seed yield (1.394 Mg ha−1), while IT produced the greatest biomass (22.96 Mg ha−1). Seed losses were lowest in DS (0.020 Mg ha−1) and highest in IT (0.425 Mg ha−1). Moisture content ranged from 5.82% in DC to 9.40% in DS. These findings highlighted the trade-offs between productivity, efficiency, and system complexity, offering valuable insights into the comparative performance and sustainability of innovative cropping systems under changing climatic conditions.