Evaluation of the effect of planting density of maize hybrids intercropped with coffee Evaluación del efecto de la densidad de siembra de híbridos de maíz intercalados con café

The production of maize intercropped with coffee during the establishment stage has been a common practice recommended by Cenicafé to promote food security, generate complementary income and increase the sustainability of coffee production systems. With the objective of evaluating the effect of different planting densities of the white maize hybrid SGBIOH2 biofortified with zinc on the production of two cycles of intercropped maize and on the accumulated production of two coffee harvests, a research was carried out in four experimental stations of Cenicafé: Naranjal (Caldas), La Catalina (Risaralda), El Rosario (Antioquia) and El Tambo (Cauca). The experiment was established through a randomized complete block design with four intercropped maize planting density treatments (45,000, 50,000, 55,000 and 60,000 plants per hectare) and an absolute check without maize, which were evaluated in nine repetitions per location in 48 m2 plots. Intercropped hybrid maize yields increased linearly in all locations as planting density increased from 45,000 to 60,000 plants per hectare (Pr > F = 0.0001). Coffee production was not affected by any of the maize planting density treatments (Pr > 0.05), indicating low competition of the two crops. Likewise, the physical quality of the coffee represented in the cherry coffee/dry parchment coffee ratio and milling yield factor was not affected by any of the density treatments evaluated.