Abstract
This protocol describes a three-strip intercropping system combining field corn, sorghum-sudangrass shade strips (12–15 ft), and perennial wildflower predator habitat strips with white reflective mulch. The system provides simultaneous heat stress reduction (6–10°F leaf cooling on border rows), windbreak protection (5–15% yield increase across the entire corn strip), and conservation biological control (16–40% pest reduction) for dryland corn in the US Corn Belt. The pest control benefit is specifically activated by the intercrop configuration, and predator populations are sustained through heat events by the wildflower strip. The system requires no new hardware, no irrigation (though minimal irrigation during heat events amplifies the effect), and no proprietary technology. It can be implemented with existing combine, planter, and sprayer equipment.
The system is the best accessible, no-new-technology, sub-$500/acre, dryland heat adaptation strategy available to a Corn Belt farmer in 2026.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Caldwell, Michael Victor Mr., "THREE-STRIP INTERCROPPING SYSTEM FOR HEAT STRESS REDUCTION IN FIELD CORN: (Version 2) Complete Research & Implementation Protocol", Technical Disclosure Commons, ()
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/11710