Performance of Maize-legume Intercropping Systems under Hilly Agroecosystems of the North Eastern Himalayas

Background: Intercropping offers sufficient flexibility to cultivate two or more crops on the same piece of land at the same time, with the goal of increasing productivity per unit area. Maize, a cereal crop of versatile use, sown in wide rows offers the opportunity for adoption of intercropping. Benefits of the maize-legumes intercropping system increased yield and better use of available resources, benefits in managing weeds, pests and diseases, legumes’ fixation of biological nitrogen and transfer of that nitrogen to related maize, insurance against crop failure for smallholders and erosion control due to the large area covered by the legumes. Methods: A field experiment was conducted on the fields of farmers in the nearby villages during summer seasons of 2023 to 2025. The treatment combinations of Maize sole cropping, maize + groundnut, maize + ricebean and maize + soybean are different kinds of intercropping systems taken up for experimentations. Result: Experimental results revealed that maize crop sown as sole crop recorded highest maize yield of 51.65 q/ha, 53.20 q/ha and 53.95 q/ha respectively, compared to maize + ricebean and maize + soybean intercropping systems, maize + groundnut intercropping system produced higher equivalent yields of 58.60 q/ha, 64.55 q/ha and 64.15 q/ha and system profitability of 343.36₹/ha/day, 399.53 ₹/ha/day and 409.26 ₹/ha/day during both the years of cropping. Though, intercropping with other crops reduced the grain yield of maize but intercropping increased the maize equivalent yield than sole maize. The maize + groundnut intercropping method yielded the highest gross returns of ₹175800/ha, ₹197550/ha and ₹201900/ha respectively, with net profits of ₹125325/ha, ₹ 145830/ha and ₹149380/ha. During the three years of cropping, the maize + groundnut intercropping system also recorded highest benefit-cost ratio. This finding suggests that intercropping maize + groundnut was found to be effective strategy to increased sustained productivity and profitability.