Agro-economic responsiveness of radish associations with cowpea in the presence of different amounts of Calotropis procera, spatial arrangements and agricultural crops

Jailma Suerda Silva De Lima,Aridênia Peixoto Chaves,Renato Leandro Costa Nunes,Aurélio Paes Barros Júnior,Francisco Bezerra Neto,Josimar Nogueora Da Silva

doi:10.1590/1413-70542018424010318

Jailma Suerda Silva De Lima, Aridênia Peixoto Chaves + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-70542018424010318

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Abstract

ABSTRACT The integration of research emphasizing sustainable development, employment, income generation and food security has been highlighted in the media. The objective of this research was to evaluate the agro-economic responsiveness of radish associations with cowpea in the presence of different amounts of roostertree, spatial arrangements and agricultural crops. The experimental design was a randomized block design with four replications, with treatments arranged in a 4 x 3 factorial scheme, where the first factor consisted of four amounts of C. procera incorporated in the soil (20, 35, 50 and 65 t ha-1 on a dry basis) and the second factor of three spatial arrangements (2:2, 3:3, and 4:4) in two cropping seasons. Radish samples were evaluated for plant height, dry mass of shoots, total and commercial productivity of roots, productivity of scrap roots, and dry mass of roots, while in cowpea, vegetation was assessed for length of green pods, number of pods per square meter, productivity and dry mass of green pods, number of green grains per pod, weight of 100 green grains, and yield and dry mass of green grains. The economic indicators of monetary advantage and modified monetary advantage were used in the evaluation of efficiency. A greater agro-economic responsiveness of the intercropping of radish and cowpea crops was obtained with the incorporation of 56.44 t ha-1 of C. procera. The spatial arrangements of 3:3 and 4:4 had better agronomic and economic responsiveness. The association between radish and cowpea is feasible when the crops are fertilized with C. procera.

Highlights

IntroductionIn Brazil, the use of different methods for agricultural production within family agriculture has been gaining strength, mainly due to the modernization of research emphasizing sustainable development, employment, income generation and food security
In Brazil, the use of different methods for agricultural production within family agriculture has been gaining strength, mainly due to the modernization of research emphasizing sustainable development, employment, income generation and food security.Among these methods of production, the use of crop association has several advantages, including the most intensive use of agricultural areas, a reduction in the riskAgro-economic responsiveness of radish associations with cowpea in the presence of different...of cultural failure, increased vegetative protection of the soil against erosion, better control of weeds due to greater soil vegetative cover velocity and the most efficient use of labor (Vieira et al, 2006).The use of short-cycle plants, such as vegetable crops, is a viable alternative for income generation with a rapid economic return on rural property (Oliveira et al, 2015)
The experimental design was of randomized complete blocks with four replications, with treatments arranged in a 4 x 3 factorial scheme, where the first factor consisted of four amounts of C. procera incorporated into the soil (20, 35, 50 and 65 t ha-1 on a dry basis) and the second factor of three spatial arrangements (2:2, 3:3 and 4:4) in two crop seasons

Summary

Introduction

In Brazil, the use of different methods for agricultural production within family agriculture has been gaining strength, mainly due to the modernization of research emphasizing sustainable development, employment, income generation and food security Among these methods of production, the use of crop association has several advantages, including the most intensive use of agricultural areas, a reduction in the risk. The use of short-cycle plants, such as vegetable crops, is a viable alternative for income generation with a rapid economic return on rural property (Oliveira et al, 2015) Among such crops, associations between the radish (Raphanus sativus L.), belonging to the Brassicaceae family with a short life cycle and low soil fertility requirements (Silva et al, 2015), and the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp), belonging to the Fabaceae family with the characteristic of being able to establish symbiotic relationships with nitrogenfixing bacteria in the soil, favor improvements in soil fertility and the use of environmental resources.

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