Phenological performance and yield response of maize under different legume–cereal intercropping systems in Morogoro region

Abstract

This study evaluated the agronomic performance and land-use efficiency of maize–bean intercropping systems in Morogoro District, Tanzania. Three planting patterns were assessed: sole cropping (maize and beans), mixed intercropping, and row intercropping. Data were collected on plant population, flowering days, plant height, grain rows per cob, cob length and girth, pods per plant, seed count, and land equivalent ratio (LER). Statistical analysis using ANOVA (p < 0.05) revealed significant treatment differences. Mixed intercropping exhibited the highest maize cob length (23.0 cm), number of grain cobs (449.3), and plant height (2.967 m), while also outperforming in bean yield attributes such as pod number (20 pods/plant) and seed count (100 seeds/plant). There was a significant increase in bean plant population at thinning in mixed intercropping (78 plants) compared to sole bean cropping (32 plants). However, no significant difference was observed in germination rate across treatments (p > 0.05). Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) analysis showed that mixed intercropping achieved an LER of 1.32, while row intercropping recorded 1.15, indicating a 32% and 15% higher land productivity, respectively, compared to sole cropping systems. These results confirm the efficiency of cereal–legume intercrops in improving yield components and optimizing land use. Overall, the findings underscore the agronomic and ecological advantages of mixed intercropping for sustainable food production and land-use intensification in smallholder farming systems.