책임운영기관 농촌진흥청 국립축산과학원 (로고)

This study evaluated the growth characteristics, forage yield, and feed value of a maize–soybean intercropping system under different fertilizer levels. Maize–soybean intercropping was conducted from 2018 to 2021 in Cheonan, Republic of Korea. The control (210 kg/ha of N:P:K (21:17:17)) was set based on monoculture maize fertilization, and six treatments by increasing or decreasing the N, P, or K levels by 20% (2019) or 50% (2020–2021) were designed. In 2019, there was no significant difference in forage productivity between the maize–soybean intercropping systems and the control. The maize dry matter yield in 2020 in T-1 (50% increase in N) was higher, at 14,125 kg/ha; however, it was not significantly different to the control. The forage productivity of intercropped soybean in treatments with low N fertilization was higher. Therefore, intercropping with soybean can reduce the need for N fertilization as it can fix atmospheric N. There was a significant difference between the maize and soybean feed values. However, the results were not correlated with the fertilization level. In 2021, the forage productivity in treatments with no N fertilization (T-4, T-5, and T-6) was poor. However, treatments (T-1, T-2, and T-3) with 50% N fertilizer application and sufficient P and K produced equal dry matter yields to the control. In conclusion, maize–soybean intercropping achieved excellent forage productivity and feed value, despite a 20–50% reduction in the application of N fertilizer due to the positive effects of intercropping.