AbstractIntercropping provides farmers profit‐oriented and subsistence‐oriented requirements from the same piece of land. The objective of a 2‐yr experiment on intercropping rice (Oryza sativa L.) and legumes was to assess effect on yield in India. Rice was intercropped with mungbean (Vigna radiata L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), ricebean (Vigna umbellata L.) and blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper.] on a well‐drained sandy loam soil in the Gangetic Alluvial Plains (Fleuvudent). Rice/legume planting ratios (row basis) were 2:1, 4:1 simultaneously planted or legumes were planted (2:1 planting ratio) at 30 d after planting of rice (deferred planting). Control plots were monocrops of rice and legumes with each species fertilized according to soil test recommendations. Rice + mungbean, rice + soybean, rice + peanut and rice + blackgram intercroppings resulted in higher yields than that of rice + ricebean intercropping. Rice + ricebean and rice + blackyielded higher when deferred planting was practised. All intercropping treatments of rice + legumes save rice + ricebean (simultaneous planting) were greater in land equivalent ratio (LER), relative net return (RNR), monetary advantage (MA), etc. The competitive ratios (CR) of rice was above one in deferred planting except rice + blackgram and rice + mungbean in 1985 and only rice + blackgram in 1986. Thus, LER, RNR, and MA showed that intercropping of rice + legumes other than ricebean resulted in greater productivity per unit of land than monocultures.