Effect of P fertilization and Spraying by Micronutrients on Productivity of Intercropped Maize and Soybean and Competitive Relationships under Different Farming Systems

: A field trial was performed at the farm Sakha ARS, ARC, Egypt, throughout the 2020 and 2021 seasons to study the influence of P fertilization levels (15.5 and 23.25 kg P 2 O 5 /fed) in addition spraying by micronutrients (without, spraying with 400 g Zn/200 Liter water/fed, 400 g Mn /200 Liter water/fed and 400 g Zn + 400 g Mn /200 Liter water/fed) on the productivity of intercropped maize and soybean under different farm systems (expressed as plowing treatments, i.e. , using chisel plow once, tiller plow once and chisel plow once beside tiller plow once) as well as competitive relationships and economic evaluation. Using chisel plow once beside tiller plow once significantly increased earliness characters, growth characters and yield and yield attributes of maize as well as soybean traitsand resulted in the superior values of all these characters in each one season. Increasing phosphorus fertilizer levels to 23.25 kg P 2 O 5 /fed produced the superior values of earliness characters, growth characters and yield and yield attributes of maize as well as soybean characters in each season. Foliar spraying intercropped maize and soybean twice with the combination of Zn and Mn at 400 g Zn + 400 g Mn /200 Liter water/fed produced the superior values of earliness characters, growth characters and yield and yield attributes of maize as well as soybean characters in each season. It can be concluded that the maximum land equivalent ratio (LER), total income and net return were obtained from intercropping maize and soybean with 50 % of its pure stand and using chisel plow once beside tiller plow once and fertilizing with 23.25 kg P 2 O 5 /fed in Addition to foliar spraying intercropped maize and soybean twice after 30 and 60 DFS with the combination of Zn and Mn at 400 g Zn + 400 g Mn /200 Liter water /fedunder the environmental conditions of Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt.