Evaluation of Yield and Advantages of Corn (Zea mays L.) and Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Intercropping

In order to study the effects of additive intercropping on grain yield of corn and sweet basil, an experiment was carried out with 9 treatments and 3 replications at the experimental Farm of Faculty of Agriculture of University of Tabriz in 2015. Treatments were sole cropping of corn and two basil cultivars (Mobarake and Italian Large Leaf) and six additive intercropping of %50, %75 and %100 of two basil cultivars + 100%corn. The results of analysis of variance showed that leaf area index, height and number of leaf was significant and corn grain yield was not affected by cropping pattern, however, the effect of cropping pattern was significant on basil cultivars grain yield. Corn plants had highest LAI in intercropping treatments but the maximum height and number of leaf were obtained from sole cropping treatment. The highest grain yield of basil (749.52 kg. ha-1) was obtained from Mobarake cultivar. Also, land equivalent ratio was higher than one in all intercropping patterns shows the advantages of intercropping of these two crops. The results showed that intercropping had higher gross income compare with corn sole cropping and adding %75 of Italian Large Leaf cultivar to corn was the best pattern.