Growth and yield of peanut relay-planted between rows of waxy maize as affected by row proportion and mycorrhiza biofertilizer

Abstract

One reason for low peanut production in Indonesia is unavailability of sufficient land area for peanut cultivation, so additive intercropping is a possible solution. This study aimed to examine the effects of mycorrhiza biofertilizer and row proportions on growth and yield of peanut relay-planted between rows of waxy maize under normal plant spacing of maize. The field experiment was conducted on rainfed land in Narmada, West Lombok, Indonesia, from June to August 2017, which was designed according to Split Plot Design with two treatment factors, i.e. application of mycorrhiza biofertilizer (M0= without; M1= with mycorrhiza biofertilizer) as the main plots, and intercropping with different row proportions of peanut-maize (R0= monocropped peanut; R1= relay-planting 1 row; R2= relay-planting 2 rows; and R3= relay-planting 3 rows of peanut between two rows of waxy maize) as the subplots. The results indicated that mycorrhiza biofertilizer and row proportions of peanut to maize had an interaction effect on peanut leaf number at 7 weeks, average growth rate of leaf number, and grain yield per clump but not per plot. However, relay-planting 3 rows of peanut between rows of waxy maize under mycorrhiza biofertilization increased peanut grain yield per m², with an average peanut grain yield of 1.97 ton/ha or 75.59% of grain yield of the monocropped peanut. Therefore, peanut production can be done between rows of waxy maize of normal population, especially with application of mycorrhiza biofertilizer, which could contribute up to 1.97 ton/ha peanut grain yield in addition to the waxy maize yield.