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Effects of rice, maize, and soybean intercropping on growth of six-year-old mature oil palm 


Citation :- Effects of rice, maize, and soybean intercropping on growth of six-year-old mature oil palm. Res. Crop. 27: 633-638
CUCU SUHERMAN VZ, DAFFA SATRIO BAKRI AND MOCHAMAD ARIEF SOLEH cucu.suherman@unpad.ac.id
Address : Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Padjadjaran Jl. Raya Bandung-Sumedang Km 21, Jatinangor, Sumedang 45363, Indonesia
Submitted Date : 1-07-2026
Accepted Date : 29-08-2026

Abstract

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a strategic plantation commodity contributing significantly to Indonesia’s economy. During the early mature phase, the interrow space of oil palm remains underutilised, and intercropping offers potential to improve land-use efficiency and farmer income without disturbing main-crop growth. This study aimed to determine the effect of intercropping rice (Oryza sativa L.), maize (Zea mays L.), and soybean (Glycine max L.) on the growth of six-year-old mature oil palm. The experiment was conducted at the Ciparanje Experimental Field, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, from February to June 2025, using a Latin Square Design with four treatments - oil palm monoculture (control), oil palm + rice, oil palm + maize, and oil palm + soybean, each replicated four times. Parameters observed included plant height, stem girth, leaf number, chlorophyll index, stomatal density, and bunch number. Results showed that maize intercropping reduced oil palm stem girth compared with the monoculture control, while stem girth under soybean intercropping remained similar to the control and rice intercropping fell between the two; no other growth or yield parameter was affected by intercropping. These findings indicate that the interrow space of six-year-old oil palm can potentially be optimised for food-crop cultivation without compromising the main crop’s growth.

Keywords

Intercropping maize oil palm soybean stem girth 


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