Productivity and Photosynthetic Performance of Maize–Soybean Intercropping Under Different Water and Nitrogen Management Strategies

With the advancement of modern agriculture and increasing scarcity of water and fertilizer resources, determining optimal water and nitrogen (N) management strategies for intercropping systems is critical for ensuring system productivity and enhancing resource-use efficiency. This study employed field experiments to investigate the effects of different water and N treatments on grain yield, aboveground biomass, leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, and radiation use efficiency (RUE) in a maize–soybean intercropping system. The experiment consisted of three cropping systems (maize monoculture, soybean monoculture, and maize–soybean intercropping), two irrigation regimes (rain-fed and supplemental irrigation), and three N-application rates for maize (240, 180, and 120 kgN ha⁻¹). The results demonstrated that supplementary irrigation significantly enhanced the LAI and photosynthetic capacity of both maize and soybean during critical growth stages, thereby promoting increases in grain yield and aboveground biomass. Intercropping significantly improved the productivity and photosynthetic performance of maize compared to monoculture, whereas soybean exhibited a reduction under intercropping conditions. Furthermore, irrigation regime and N rate had significant interactive effects on the photosynthetic performance of maize at the tasseling stage. In the intercropping system, a 25% reduction in the conventional application rate of N for maize maintained system productivity, whereas a 50% reduction substantially decreased maize yield and photosynthetic performance. The intercropping system achieved land equivalent ratios (LERs) ranging from 1.06 to 1.11 and RUE advantages (ΔRUE) of 1.52 to 1.64, demonstrating significant superiority in land and light resource utilization. Considering both productivity and resource-use efficiency, supplemental irrigation combined with 180 kgN ha⁻¹ N application for maize represents the optimal water and N management strategy for achieving high yield and efficiency in maize–soybean intercropping systems in the Guanzhong plain.