Intercropping improved yield of pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.) in dryland

Abstract One of the strategies to adapt to climate change effects in dryland is intercropping. This study evaluated the impact of the planting time of groundnuts on the growth and yield of two varieties of peppers when intercropping in dryland. One experiment was conducted in North Lombok, Indonesia, from April to August 2023. The planting times of groundnuts were the same: one, two, three, and four weeks after pepper. Meanwhile, the two pepper varieties were a hybrid and a non-hybrid. All the treatments were assigned factorially in a randomized block design with three replications. Monoculture of each component crop was provided in each replication to calculate the land equivalent ratio (LER). The results showed that the growth of the two pepper varieties was not affected by the planting time of groundnut. The non-hybrid outyielded the hybrid variety; however, both varieties yielded less than their genetic potential. The pepper yield improved when the groundnuts were planted late. The LER value ranged from 1.5 to 1.8, showing that intercropping is more efficient in utilizing land than monoculture. Planting groundnut three to four weeks after planting a non-hybrid pepper is suggested to improve yield and land use efficiency in dryland areas.