Plant Growth, Flowering Phenologies, and Yields of Corn, Beans and Squash Grown in Pure Stands and Mixtures in Costa Rica

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Abstract
Corn, beans and squash were grown in pure stands and mixtures for 3 seasons in Costa Rica. Per plant vegetative biomass of beans and corn was not affected by treatment (i.e., pure stand or mixture) while squash plants were significantly smaller in mixtures with corn than in pure stands. Bean plants initiated flowering later in mixtures with corn but total bean flower production was not significantly affected by treatment. Squash plants produced significantly fewer flowers in mixtures, while corn flowering was not affected by treatment. Although intercropping significantly decreased per plant yields of corn and squash while significantly increasing it for beans, the total yield in terms of gross return ha-1 (e.g. as Land Equivalent Ratio) was greater for all mixtures, with the exception of the corn-squash intercrop, than their respective pure stands.