Abstract
ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of planting spatial arrangements between the cowpea and beet crops in intercropping and of cowpea population densities on the crop’s productivity and in the agro-economic efficiency of the association at two growing seasons. The experimental design was of randomised blocks with the treatments arranged in a 4 x 3 factorial scheme, in four replications. The first factor was constituted by three spatial arrangements between the component cultures (2:2, 3:3 and 4:4), formed by beet rows alternated with cowpea rows, while the second factor was constituted by the population densities of cowpea: 40, 60, 80 and 100% of the recommended population in single crop (RDSC). The production and its components were evaluated in the beet and cowpea. Apart from these characteristics, the following agro-economic indicators were also determined for each treatment: system productivity index (SPI), the land equivalent coefficient (LEC), and the monetary equivalent ratio (MER). The maximum production of commercial beet roots was obtained with 15.60 t ha-1 productivity at density of 61.82% of RDSC within the 4:4 arrangement, while the maximum yield of cowpea green grains of 2.23 t ha-1 was reached at density of 79.57% of RDSC within 2:2 spatial arrangement. The productivities of beet roots of extra A, extra AA and great types decreased with increasing cowpea population density, without any influence of the tested spatial arrangements. The maximum mean productivity of cowpea green pods of 1.74 t ha-1 was obtained at density of 87.47% of RDSC, reached within 2:2 spatial arrangement. The maximum economic efficiency of the cowpea-beet intercropping was obtained with MER of 1.11 at cowpea density of 100% of RDSC, irrespective of the spatial arrangement and growing season.
Highlights
Dinâmica agroeconômica do consórcio de caupi e beterraba sob arranjo espacial e densidade populacional de caupi
A produção máxima de raízes comerciais de beterraba foi obtida com a produtividade de 15,60 t ha-1 na densidade de caupi de 61,82% da densidade recomendada em cultura solteira (DRCS) no arranjo 4:4, enquanto o rendimento máximo de grãos verdes de caupi de 2,23 t ha-1 foi alcançado na densidade de 79,57% da DRCS no arranjo espacial de plantio 2:2
The first factor was constituted by different population densities of cowpea: 40, 60, 80 and 100% of the recommended population in single crop (RDSC), while the second factor was constituted by three spatial arrangements between the component cultures (2:2, 3:3 and 4:4), formed by strips of beet alternated with strips of cowpea, consisting of two strips of two rows, in the 2:2 arrangement, two strips of three rows in the 3:3 arrangement, and two strips of four rows in the 4:4 arrangement, flanked by two beet border rows on one side and two border rows of cowpea on the other side, thereby constituting the side borders
Summary
Dinâmica agroeconômica do consórcio de caupi e beterraba sob arranjo espacial e densidade populacional de caupi. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de arranjos espaciais de plantio entre as culturas do caupi e beterraba em consórcio e de densidades populacionais de caupi na produtividade das culturas e na eficiência econômica do sistema em duas estações de cultivo. A eficiência econômica máxima do consórcio de caupi-beterraba foi alcançada com um IEM de 1,11 na densidade de caupi de 100% do DRCS, independentemente do arranjo espacial e da estação de cultivo. One of the major challenges for obtaining viable production systems with food crops and vegetables in crop association is the correct choice of production factors for obtaining high productivity and economic efficiency of the system These production factors need to be properly managed to improve the use of the environmental resources and to increase productivity and product quality, as well as the agronomic-biological efficiency of the intercropped systems compared to monoculture systems. Intra- and interspecific competition is established by the arrangement of the plants, by the spacings between and within planting rows and by the time at which competition begins, defining the distribution pattern of the plants in relation to the soil and determining the available area for each individual plant in the use of the environmental resources
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