Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] response to strip-intercropping with corn (Zea may L.) and oat (Avena Jativa L.) interseeded with nondormant alfalfa (Medicago Jativa L.) may be affected by soil moisture. A three-crop strip-intercropping system of corn, soybean and oat interseeded with nondormant alfalfa was established to determine the effect of tillage system and row position on soil water content and grain yield in the soybean strip. The experiment was a split-plot design with three tillage treatments (conventional, CT; reduced, RT; and minimum tillage, MT) as main plot effects and three row positions (both edge rows and the center row) as subplot effects. In 1989 (a dry year), MT resulted in greater soil water content and soybean yield than other tillage treatments. The row bordering the oat-alfalfa strip had a lower soil water content and soybean yield than did the other two positions. Tillage did not have a significant effect in 1990 (a wet year) on soil water content or soybean yield. The 1990 soybean yield was lower in the soybean row bordering corn, but water availability did not differ significantly between row positions. MT was the most suitable tillage system for soybean production with the three-crop strip intercropping on this soil for both the wet and dry year in which this study was conducted
