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Abstract Abstract：This study aimed to investigate the eff ects of intercropping cassava on chili pepper growth， photosynthetic performance，soil enzyme activities，yield，and insect pest infestation．Using chili pepper‘Xiangyan No.55’and cassava‘Nanzhi 199’as experimental materials，and monoculture chili pepper（CK）as the control，three planting densities of chili peppers（T1，T2，and T3 treatments，with plant spacings of 0.4，0.5，and 0.6 m，respectively）were established in the intercropping system．The results indicated that under T1 treatment，both the stem diameter and net photosynthetic rate of chili peppers were inhibited to varying degrees．T2 and T3 treatments signifi cantly increased the plant height of chili peppers，with no signifi cant impact on stem diameter．Additionally，T2 and T3 treatments enhanced the relative chlorophyll content，intercellular CO2 concentration，and stomatal conductance of chili pepper plants，while enhancing the net photosynthetic rate during the initial fruiting stage of peppers．The soil catalase and sucrase activities under T1 treatment were significantly lower than those under CK．In contrast，T2 and T3 treatments significantly increased soil urease and acid phosphatase activities．There was no signifi cant diff erence in yield between the intercropping T2 treatment and CK，whereas the yields of T1 and T3 treatment were lowered comparing to the CK．Notably，T1 and T2 treatments were eff ective in mitigating the damage caused by whitefl y and tobacco greenfly，exhibiting better relative pest control effi cacies．In conclusion，the T2 cultivation pattern，involving two rows of cassava intercropped with two rows of chili peppers at a spacing of 0.5 m between chili peppers， was optimal and suitable as an intercropping model for chili peppers and cassava in Hunan production areas．
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Received: 22 February 2024
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