OPTIMIZING LAND-USE EFFICIENCY IN RICE-SOYBEAN SYSTEMS THROUGH TEMPORAL OFFSETS AND SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS OF RICE/SOYBEAN INTERCROP IN RAINFOREST AGROECOLOGY OF NIGERIA
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Abstract
Sustainable intensification of cereal-legume systems requires a precise balance between interspecific competition and facilitation. This study investigated the impact of temporal niche differentiation and spatial arrangement on the productivity of rice and soybean intercropping. A 16-treatment factorial experiment evaluated seven planting offsets (from 30 days before to 30 days after) and two row geometries (alternate vs. double). Competition was quantified using the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER), Actual Yield Loss (AYL), and Aggressivity (AA), while physiological trade-offs were modeled via regression of soybean nodulation against rice yield. Among the intercropping treatments, simultaneous planting achieved the highest rice grain yield (4.55 t/ha), representing only a 7.3% reduction compared to the sole rice control (4.91 t/ha). Delaying rice planting by 30 days optimized the system’s land-use efficiency (LER = 8.49) and resulted in a significant actual yield gain (AYL = 14.98), indicating a substantial advantage over monoculture. A significant inverse correlation was identified between soybean nodulation and rice grain yield (r = −0.947, p < 0.001). All intercropping treatments exhibited a profound facilitation effect, rescuing the soybean component from the near-total failure observed in its monoculture (0.11 t/ha). Alternate row spacing was found to be superior for rice panicle development across all temporal offsets. It is recommended that farmers seeking maximum land-use efficiency and monetary returns, plant rice 30 days after soybean in alternate rows. This research provides a mechanistic framework for utilizing temporal offsets to enhance the resilience and profitability of legume-based intercropping systems.
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