Effect of Strip‐Intercropping Corn and Soybean on Yield and Profit

Recent adoption of tillage systems that allow maintaining rows in the same place each year, such as no‐till and ridge planting, has renewed interest in strip‐intercropping tall and short crops to more efficiently use sunlight in grain crop production. This study compared eight‐row strips of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] with unstripped eight‐row checks. Corn strips were evaluated with and without extra population and N for outside rows. The trials were conducted from 1986 through 1990 on highly productive prairie soils near Lafayette, IN. Yields were checked by row within eight‐row strips. Stripping increased yield of outside corn rows by an average of 25.8% and decreased yield of outside soybean rows by 26.6%, but had much less effect on yield of second rows in strips. The yield of the center six soybean rows was reduced slightly by stripping. Corn strips with extra population and N yielded 20.0 bu/acre more than nonstripped corn with regular management. Stripped soybean averaged 5.9 bu/acre less than unstripped soybean. Net profit was not increased by strip‐intercropping under conditions of this study. Additional management variables that may improve stripping profitability must be evaluated.