Effects of Plant and Row Configuration of Intercropping Cotton and Peanut on Photosynthetic Characteristics,Nutrient Accumulation and Yield of Cotton

Wu Zhaofeng; Wei Xuewen; Xu Qinqing; Qin Dulin; Pan Zhanlei; Sun Guilan; Wang Jian; Zhai Yunlong; Zhang Zhenggui; Wang Zhanbiao

doi:10.14083/j.issn.1001-4942.2026.03.007

Abstract：To explore the optimal row and plant configuration for green and efficient cotton-peanut inter-cropping system,and improve the utilization efficiency of agricultural resources and the comprehensive benefits in saline-alkali land,three different cotton-peanut intercropping row and plant configurations were set,namely 2 rows of cotton and 4 rows of peanut(T1),4 rows of cotton and 4 rows of peanut(T2),and 4 rows of cotton and 6 rows of peanut(T3),with monoculture cotton(CKC)as control.The effects of different row and plant configurations on photosynthetic characteristics,nutrient absorption and yield of cotton were studied.The re-sults showed that intercropping generally increased the net photosynthetic rate(Pn)of cotton leaves,with the most significant increase in T3 treatment,reaching a peak of 48.73 μmol·m-2·s-1 at full-blooming stage.At budding stage,the stomatal conductance(Gs)of leaves in T3 treatment was the highest,increasing by 19.98％compared with CKC.Intercropping generally reduced the transpiration rate(Tr)of cotton leaves,with significant reductions at budding and full-blooming stages,but no significant differences among treatments at full-belling stage.The intercellular CO2 concentration(Ci)was the highest in T3 treatment at budding and full-blooming stages,reaching 403.33 μmol·mol-1 and 431.67 μmol·mol-1,respectively,which were significantly higher than those of T,treatment,but had no significant difference with those of CKC.The nitrogen,phosphor-us and potassium accumulation in the reproductive organs of cotton at boll opening stage in T,treatment in-creased by 5.47％,7.27％and 12.16％respectively compared with CKC,and the theoretical yield increased by 43.87％.In treatment T2,the nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium accumulation in the reproductive organs of cotton at boll opening stage increased by 9.80％,32.72％and 16.88％respectively compared with CKC,and the theoretical yield was slightly higher than that of CKC treatment,increasing by 4.80％.In treatment T3,the total accumulation of nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium in the reproductive organs of cotton at boll open-ing stage decreased by 23.07％,32.74％and 29.70％respectively compared with CKC,and the theoretical yield was significantly reduced by 13.03％.In conclusion,the intercropping pattern of 2 rows of cotton and 4 rows of peanuts(T1)could effectively enhance the absorption and utilization efficiency of nutrients by cotton,thereby increasing the cotton yield,so it was the better row configuration for peanut-cotton intercropping under the conditions of this experiment.The results of this study could provide the theoretical basis and technical support for optimizing the row configuration of cotton and peanuts in this region.