Abiotic stress such as high temperature at flowering is one of many conditions reducing yield of corn(Zea mays L.).Mixing corn cultivars with diverse functional traits increases within-crop diversity and provides a potential means of mitigating yield losses under stress conditions.We conducted a three-year field study to investigate the effects of cultivar mixtures on kernel setting rate,pollen sources,and yield.This study consisted of six treatments,including two high temperature-tolerant(HTT)monocrops of WK702 and DH701,two high temperature-sensitive(HTS)monocrops of DH605 and DH662,and two HTT-HTS mixtures of WK702-DH605 and DH701-DH662.The anthesis-silking interval(ASI)was 0.9-1.6 days shorter in mixtures than in monocrops.Kernel setting rate was increased in mixtures(86.4%-88.7%)compared with those in monocrops(74.7%-84.1%)as a result of synchrony and complementarity of pollination.Grain yields of the HTT-HTS mixtures increased by 13.3%-18.7%,equivalent to 1169 to 1605 kg ha1,in comparison with HTS corn monocrops.The results of SSR markers showed that cross-fertilization percentage in corn cultivar mixtures ranged from 29.3%to 47.8%,partially explaining yield improvement.Land equivalent ratio(LER)was 1.12 for corn mixtures and the partial land equivalent ratio(e.g.,>0.5)showed the complementary benefits in corn mixtures.The results indicated that mixing corn cultivars with diverse flowering and drought-tolerance traits increased yields via pollination synchrony.