Abstract
The objective of this work was to assess the cultivation of cassava and cowpea in different systems and arrangements of plants in Roraima’s savannah, Brazil. The experiment was performed at the experimental field of the Department of Soil and Climate at the UFRR, Boa Vista (Roraima). The experimental design adopted was in randomized blocks, with seven treatments and four replications. The treatments were: 1) a single row of cassava in monoculture; 2) a single row of cassava plus a row of cowpea; 3) a double row of cassava in monoculture; 4) a double row of cassava plus a row of cowpea; 5) a double row of cassava plus two rows of cowpea; 6) a double row of cassava plus three rows of cowpea; and 7) cowpea in monoculture. For the cassava were assessed the following variables: yield of roots, fresh weight of shoot, harvest index, number of roots per plant, roots length, roots diameter, root dry matter, starch content and index of area equivalence. For the cowpea were assessed: yield of the grains (kg ha-1), number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, weight of 1000 seeds, and index of area equivalence. The double rows cropping systems of cassava with two and three rows of cowpea allow obtaining equivalent yield to the monoculture of cassava in single rows. The intercropping, regardless of the arrangement, reduces grain yield of cowpea. All treatments in intercropping systems exhibit a satisfactory area equivalence index, with an average of 1.55.
Highlights
Cassava has a wide adaptation to different soil and climatic conditions being grown in Brazil since the states of Roraima to Rio Grande do Sul (ALBUQUERQUE et al, 2014)
Considering the cost of cassava yield, it is believed that a significant portion is due to weed control; this value depends on several factors, including the plantation system (ALBUQUERQUE et al, 2008)
In works performed by Albuquerque et al (2012) in the city of Coimbra, Minas Gerais state, at the experimental campus of UFV, where yield components were assessed in various spacial arrangements between ordinary beans and cassava and verified that in fresh weight of shoot, harvest index, root length, root dry matter and starch content characters were not found significant differences between their treatments
Summary
Cassava has a wide adaptation to different soil and climatic conditions being grown in Brazil since the states of Roraima to Rio Grande do Sul (ALBUQUERQUE et al, 2014). In Roraima, cassava is the more traditional culture, being cultivated on 6,210 ha, mainly by small farmers, involving monoculture and intercropping with cowpea (ALVES et al, 2009), with an average yield of 13.5 t ha-1 (INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE GEOGRAFIA E ESTATÍSTICA, 2014). The intercropping is interesting in relation to sole cropping, for several reasons: intensive use of the area, vegetative soil protection against erosion and improvement of weed control. According to Alves et al (2009) in the intercrops occur reduction of the incidence of pests and diseases, providing, with greater frequency, greater profits for small farmers, besides diversifying the sources of income and food. Flesch (2002) states that intercropping provides more agronomic and economic advantages than the sole crops. Albuquerque et al (2012) state that usually the yield in sole culture is superior to intercropping
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