Impact of legume and non-legume intercropping with maize (Zea mays L.) on weed competition

Abstract

Legume-based intercropping systems, particularly maize + field pea and maize + lentil consistently outperformed non-leguminous intercrops and sole maize in weed suppression across all growth stages (20, 40, 60, 80 DAS and harvest). Legumes demonstrated superior weed control by reducing weed density in maize + field pea with 39.54, 40.41, 41.23, 41.84, 48.09 weed numbers m-2 in pooled respectively through dense canopy formation and vigorous growth through benefits of nitrogen fixation. Non-leguminous intercrops such as maize + mustard and maize + wheat provided moderate weed suppression but were less effective than legume-based systems. These findings underscore the competitive advantage of legume-based intercropping in enhancing weed management and resource efficiency in maize-based systems.