Abstract: 【Objective】To explore the effects of cotton and peanut intercropping on crop growth and development and yield in Shihezi,Xinjiang.【Methods】Three planting patterns were set up namely cotton monoculture,peanut monoculture and cotton and peanut intercropping. Sampling and measuring plant height,chlorophyll content（SPAD value） and root density（RLD） value in 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers from June 11 to August 9,2023,measuring the yield in early september,and analyzing the effects of different planting patterns on crop growth and land equivalent ratio（LER）.【Results】From June 11 to August 9,intercropping cotton plant height increased by 7.61% to 15.90% compared with monoculture cotton,intercropping peanut plant height increased by 4.32% to 41.86% compared with monoculture peanut;the SPAD value of intercropping cotton on June 30 and July 9 were significantly increased by 23.06% and 8.90% compared with monoculture cotton（P<0.05）,and the SPAD value of monoculture peanut on June 30,July 9 and July 20 were significantly increased by 13.88%,8.13% and 15.64% compared with intercropping peanut（P<0.05）,respectively. In 0-20 cm soil layer,the RLD value of intercropping cotton was significantly increased by 34.82% on June 30 compared with monoculture cotton（P<0.05）,and the RLD value of intercropping peanut on June 30,July 9 and July 20 were significantly increased by 29.21%,42.97% and 30.76% compared with monoculture peanut（P<0.05）;in 20-40 cm soil layer,the RLD value of intercropping cotton on June 30 and July 20 were significantly increased by 37.58% and 57.43% compared with monoculture cotton,respectively（P<0.05）,the RLD value of monoculture peanut on June 11,June 30,July 9 and August 9 were significantly increased by 47.25%,45.18%,22.22% and 30.95% compared with intercropping peanut,respectively（P<0.05）. Due to the competition between the two crops for light and the limitation of resources and planting environment,the yield of monoculture cotton was 24.36% higher than that of intercropping cotton,the yield of monoculture peanut was 13.64% higher than intercropping peanut;the LER of intercropping cotton and peanut was 1.62.【Conclusion】Intercropping increased the plant height of cotton and peanut,and promoted the SPAD value of cotton in the early intercropping stage in Shihezi,Xinjiang.Although the yield of intercropping cotton and peanut was lower than monoculture,it still had the advantage of intercropping.

Key words: Intercropping, Cotton, Peanut, Growth and development, Yield