The current study evaluated the canopy cover competition for light and heat in a jujube–cotton intercropping system to measure the growth and yield performance of cotton, and the optimal cotton planting configuration. In this study, a two-year field experiment (2020 and 2021) was studied with different spacing configuration modes designed as follows: two rows of cotton (CM1) planted 1.4 m apart, four rows of cotton (CM2) planted 1.0 m apart, and six rows of cotton (CM3) planted 0.5 m apart, spacing intercropped jujube trees, respectively. The control treatment consisted of monocultured cotton (CK). The light-response curve was plotted using an LI-6400 XT photosynthesis instrument. Based on the modified rectangular hyperbola model, the photosynthetic characteristics were fitted, and the dry matter distribution characteristics and yield were compared. The results showed that with the increase in photosynthetically active radiation, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of each growth phase decreased first and then increased rapidly in the range of 0–200 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ and then decreased slightly after the inflection point (light saturation point). The light-response curves of stomatal conductance and transpiration rate showed a linear relationship. The trend in the intercellular CO₂ concentration response curve was opposite to that of Pn. The maximum Pn (Pmax) of intercropped cotton was significantly impacted by configuration modes, of which CM2 treatment generated 1.8% and 22.8% higher Pmax than the CM1 and CM3 treatments. The cotton yield in the two years ranked as CK > CM3 > CM2 > CM1, and the average land equivalent ratio of CM2 was significantly higher than that of CM3 (22.4%) and CM1 (95.9%). The six-row configuration resulted in greater competition with the trees, which affected the accumulation of below-ground dry matter, while the four-row configuration formed a reasonable canopy structure, which ensured that more photosynthetic substances were distributed to the generative organs. The reasonable four-rows configuration mode may improve the photosynthetic efficiency of intercropped cotton economic yield.

Jujube/cotton intercropping is a typical ecological ecosystem, and water is the dominant factor limiting the system productivity. However, it is not clear if and how irrigation rate affects soil bacterial diversity and lint yield in a jujube/cotton intercropping system. To explore the effects of irrigation rate on soil bacterial diversity and enzymatic activities in a jujube/cotton intercropping system, four water stress treatments were applied in 2017 and 2018 in Xinjiang, Northwest China: (1) W1, 3750 m³/ha; (2) W2, 4500 m³/ha; (3) W3, 5250 m³/ha; (4) W4, 6000 m³/ha. In the intercropping field, cotton yield in W2 and W3 treatment was higher than that in W1 and W4 treatments, and significant increases were also observed in soil available phosphorus and potassium, as well as soil alkaline phosphatase and urease activities. The richness and diversity of soil bacterial communities in W2 and W3 treatments were higher than in other treatments, and the abundance of Pseudomonas bacteria was highest under W2 and W3 treatments. Overall, soil nutrient levels and soil enzymatic activities influenced soil bacterial community structure in intercropping system, indicating that soil environment was effectively improved and the best farmland income was obtained when the irrigation rate was controlled at 4500 to 5250 m³/ha.