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Intercropping and solar corridors – Cover the soil from summer onwards.
In 2025, MAS Seeds’ R&D team tested two innovative practices: intercropping and solar corridors. The objective: to sow cover crops directly into the corn to ensure soil cover from the summer onwards.
In grain maize systems, establishing cover crops remains challenging: late interventions on wet soils, risk of compaction… The result is limited cover crop development and nitrogen leaching during the peak mineralization period between late summer and early autumn.
To address this, MAS Seeds’ R&D department is exploring two solutions that allow for earlier sowing:
- Intercropping involves sowing companion plants between the rows at the 5–6 leaf stage, at the time of hoeing.
- Solar corridors rely on organizing the field into strips alternating maize and cover crops, while maintaining maize density per hectare through closer row spacing and localized fertilization.
Intercropping trials
240
Micro-plots
20
Mixtures
4
Varieties of maize
In 2025, intercropping trials conducted under optimal conditions, notably at Haut-Mauco, demonstrated good cover crop development without impacting maize yield. Conversely, drier conditions at some sites limited cover crop emergence, highlighting the importance of adapting sowing decisions to the climatic context.
We have actually 4 sites in France for these trials:
- Haut-Mauco (40),
- Aucamille (31),
- Guer (56),
- Pithiviers (45)
In 2026, MAS Seeds will double its network to eight sites and refine the protocol, with precise measurement of nitrogen return.
Solar corridor trials
1
Variety
5
Mixtures
2
Sowing architecture
For solar corridors, the 2025 results are more mixed: the tested seeding architecture was not optimal. The 2026 work will therefore aim to identify the most efficient seeding configurations adapted to the constraints of farms.
Contact us
Our local teams visit farms and distributors on-site to give you the best advice for your location. Find your local MAS Seeds® consultant by visiting a country website or fill out our contact form here.
Meet the MAS4 Seed Mixtures
We have recently launched a new seed mixture portfolio under the brand MAS4 to answer the evolving needs of a changing agriculture.
MAS4 Mixture Portfolio consist of cover, forage and energy seed mixtures and is divided into 4 segments: COVER, NUTRI, EXPERT and ENERGY. Each segment offers a product portfolio adapted to different needs, country, region and regulation.
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