Peanut Response to Sesame Intercropping under Mediterranean Climate Conditions

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a versatile oilseed legume with lots of agricultural, food and health benefits. This study investigated the effect of sesame-peanut intercropping with different planting designs on fresh and dry biomass-related traits, root parameters, seed yield and its components in peanuts. Moreover, oil content and fatty acid composition of intercropped peanuts were comparatively analyzed. SPAD value and soil temperature were also evaluated across two consecutive growing seasons. Four planting designs were applied based on varying row spacing: planting design 1 (PD1), planting design 2 (PD2), monocropped peanut (MC), and monocropped sesame (MCs). The research revealed that intercropping decreased fresh and dry biomass-related traits and root parameters in peanuts. In comparison to MC (7224.08 kg/ha-1), the pod yield (PY) was significantly lower in PD1 (1298.93 kg/ha-1) and PD2 (3245.98 kg/ha-1). Although the hundred-seed weight (HSW) of peanuts varied by intercropping, there was no significant difference between MC and PD2. Intercropping had no significant effect on the oil content, but the fatty acid composition of peanuts showed different trends, which resulted in the highest oleic acid content in PD2 (59.74%) and the highest stearic acid content in PD1 (3.76%), which were significantly different from MC. The highest intercrop total land equivalent ratio (LER) of 1.26 was identified in PD2, indicating that sesame–peanut intercropping in this planting system is advantageous, with both crops benefiting from the adjusted row spacing between the intercrop rows.