| To select soybean varieties suitable for strip intercropping in northern Shaanxi Province, 15 newly introduced varieties from various regions were used as experimental materials. A four-row soybean and two-row maize strip intercropping pattern was used to evaluate growth duration, field resistance, agronomic traits, yield, and its components. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted for comprehensive varietal evaluation. All varieties reached full maturity in this region, with growth durations ranging from 134 to 153 days. All varieties exhibited better lodging resistance than 'Shankendou 4' and 'Baodou 10'. The coefficients of variation for nine agronomic traits and yield components ranged from 10.21% to 80.53%, with the number of effective branches showing the highest variation and seeds per pod the lowest. The yield of intercropped soybean was generally lower than that of the sole cropping control; however, only 'Handou 14' and 'Qihuang 34' showed no significant difference from the control. Their yields were 2 442.36 kg/hm2 and 2 309.24 kg/hm2, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that intercropped soybean yield was significantly and positively correlated with effective pod number per plant, seed number per plant, seed weight per plant (P<0.01), and 100-seed weight (P<0.05). Lodging rate was significantly correlated with bottom pod height and 100-seed weight (P<0.01), as well as plant height (P<0.05). Four principal components were extracted through PCA, with a cumulative contribution rate of 87.98%. Considering the requirements for early maturity, suitability for mechanical harvesting, and high yield,'Longzhonghuang 605', 'Handou 14', and 'Qihuang 34' are recommended as suitable soybean varieties for strip intercropping in this region. |
