EFFECT OF MAIZE-BRACHIARIA INTERCROPPING ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE AND SOYBEAN GROWN IN SUCCESSION IN PALMAS/TO

Abstract

Intercropping maize with forage species has emerged as a promising strategy to increase straw production and enhance the sustainability of agricultural systems in the Brazilian Cerrado. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of maize/brachiaria intercropping on the productivity of maize and soybean grown in succession, under the edaphoclimatic conditions of Palmas, Tocantins. The experiment was carried out in two contiguous strips (monocropped maize and intercropped maize) during the 2024/2025 growing season. Dry matter accumulation and crop productivity were assessed through serial samplings across phenological stages, and the data were fitted to nonlinear logistic models. Parameter estimates were subjected to residual variance analysis, variance modeling, and the construction of confidence intervals using Wald and bootstrap methods (5,000 simulations). Productivity was compared using a t-test with bootstrap resampling. The results showed strong overlap of

confidence intervals between cropping systems, indicating no significant differences in biomass accumulation for either maize or soybean. Grain yield averaged 69.36 sc ha⁻¹ in the sole maize system and 74.37 sc ha⁻¹ in the intercropped system (p = 0.6976), while soybean yield reached 53.9 sc ha⁻¹ in monoculture and 57.67 sc ha⁻¹ in succession to intercropped maize (p = 0.3692). Thus, intercropping did not negatively affect the productive performance of either crop and did not result in statistically proven yield gains for soybean. It is concluded that, under the conditions of this study, maize intercropped with brachiaria is agronomically viable, maintaining yields equivalent to sole maize and providing additional straw without compromising the subsequent crop.