Antecipe system: an alternative for early intercropped maize cultivation1

ABSTRACT Second-crop maize cultivation in the eastern Maranhão state (Brazil) is constrained by the short duration of the rainy season and by the limited planting window after soybean harvest. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the Antecipe system as an alternative for early intercropped cultivation, considering sowing dates and their effects on yield components. The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design, with three treatments and four replications. In the first treatment, the Fórmula Viptera 2 maize hybrid was sown between soybean rows, at 20 days before harvest. In the second, sowing was carried out at 13 days before harvest, whereas, in the third treatment, establishment occurred one day after soybean harvest. The second treatment exhibited the highest mean yield, which was attributed to increases in grain weight per ear and 1,000-grain weight. Advancing maize sowing by 13 days represents an effective strategy to enable the second-crop maize cultivation in eastern Maranhão, especially in areas where soybean is established from December onwards.