Arun Chandel, S.K. Intodia, Arvind Verma, J. Choudhary, R.H. Meena, Devendra Jain, Amit Dadheech and Vipul Kumar Rawal
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted during the kharif seasons of 2024 and 2025 to evaluate the effect of legume-based intercropping systems and integrated fertility management on the growth parameters of sweet corn (Zea mays var. saccharata L.). The experiment comprised five intercropping systems, viz., sole sweet corn, sweet corn + blackgram (1:1), sweet corn + greengram (1:1), sweet corn + soybean (1:1) and sweet corn + groundnut (1:1), along with five fertility treatments consisting of recommended NPK, FYM @ 10 t ha{¹ + NPK, FYM @ 10 t ha{¹ + NPK + biofertilizer (consortium), vermicompost @ 4 t ha{¹ + NPK and vermicompost @ 4 t ha{¹ + NPK + biofertilizer (consortium). The experiment was laid out in a Split plot design with three replications. Plant population, plant height and dry matter accumulation were recorded during both years and pooled for statistical analysis. Plant population at 15 DAS and harvest was not significantly influenced by either intercropping systems or fertility treatments. However, plant height and dry matter accumulation were significantly affected during later growth stages. Among intercropping systems, sweet corn + greengram (1:1) recorded significantly higher pooled plant height at 60 DAS (146.41 cm) and harvest (168.72 cm) along with maximum dry matter accumulation at 60 DAS (158.33 g plant{¹) and harvest (238.73 g plant{¹). Among fertility treatments, vermicompost @ 4 t ha{¹ + NPK + biofertilizer (consortium) produced the highest pooled plant height at harvest (166.08 cm) and dry matter accumulation (240.38 g plant{¹), remaining significantly superior to recommended NPK alone. The study indicated that greengram-based intercropping coupled with integrated nutrient management using vermicompost and biofertilizer effectively enhanced vegetative growth and biomass production of sweet corn.