Effect of planting pattern and population in potato + maize intercropping system under north-western hills of India

An experiment was conducted for two seasons to evaluate two planting patterns and two population densities in potato + maize intercropping. Results revealed that although potato performed better in 2:2 intercropping system and maize in 1:1 intercropping system, maximum advantage in terms of yield and competition was obtained when both the crops were grown in intercropping with 75% of their sole crop population, irrespective of planting pattern. The relative crowding coefficient values indicated that at similar planting densities, maize was more competitive than potato in 1:1 planting pattern, whereas potato was more competitive than maize in 2:2 planting pattern. The competitive ratio also showed that performance of potato in terms of yield was better than maize when planted in 2:2 pattern. The land equivalent ratio and product of relative crowding coefficient indicated that potato + maize intercropping was advantageous when both the crops were planted with 75% density, either in 1:1 or 2:2 ratio. Net profit (~ Rs. 36,000/ha) and B:C ratio (1.83) were also maximized under mid-hills of North-western hill regions of India.