Maximizing agro-bioeconomic benefits in intercropped systems of radish and lettuce in the semi-arid environment/Maximizacao de beneficios agro-bioeconomicos em sistemas consorciados de rabanete e alface em ambiente semiarido

• Published in: Revista brasileira de engenharia agrícola e ambiental 2023-02, Vol.27 (27), p.121
• Main Authors: Lino, Francisca K.K. da S, Neto, Francisco Bezerra, Santos, Elizangela C. dos, Lima, Jailma S.S. de, Chaves, Aridenia P, Rodrigues, Gardenia S. de O, Guerra, Natan M, Silva, Italo N, Lino, Vitor A. da S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1415-4366
• DOI: 10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v27n2p121-131

HIGHLIGHTS: Merremia aegyptia and Calotropis procera biomass amounts provide agro-bioeconomic returns in radish-lettuce intercropping. Increasing population densities of lettuce provide agro-bioeconomic returns in radish-lettuce intercropping. Using M. aegyptia and C. procera as green manures proves a viable technology for radish-lettuce producers in semi-arid. Radish and lettuce are two crop vegetables that can be intercropped because they are companion cultures that complement each other. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate agro-bioeconomic returns arising from radish-lettuce intercropping in different equitable amounts of hairy woodrose (Merremia aegyptia) and roostertree (Calotropis procera) biomass at different population densities of lettuce, in the semi-arid environment. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with treatments arranged in a 4 * 4 factorial scheme with four replicates. The first factor consisted of equitable amounts of M. aegyptia and C. procera biomass at doses of 20, 35, 50, and 65 Mg h[a.sup.-1] on a dry basis. The second factor comprised four lettuce population densities of 150, 200, 250, and 300 thousand plants h[a.sup.-1]. The lettuce and radish cultivars planted were 'Taina' and 'Crimson Gigante', respectively. Expressive agro-bioeconomic returns from this radish-lettuce intercropping were obtained in the land equivalent ratio (LER) of 2.25, a score of the canonical variable Z of 3.00, net income (NI) of 52,270.48 R$ h[a.sup.-1], respectively, in the biomass amount of 65 Mg h[a.sup.-1] of the green manures and lettuce population density of 300 thousand plants h[a.sup.-1]. Also, there was a productive efficiency index (PEI) of 0.96 and a competitive ratio (CR) of 2.61 in the biomass amount of green manure of 65 Mg h[a.sup.-1] and lettuce density of 150 thousand plants h[a.sup.-1]. Using M. aegyptia and C. procera biomass from the Caatinga biome proved to be a viable technology for producers who practice the cultivation of radish and lettuce in intercropping in the semi-arid environment. Key words: Raphanus sativus, Lactuca sativa, Merremia aegyptia, Calotropis procera, economic feasibility O rabanete e a alface sao duas hortalicas que podem ser consorciadas, porque sao culturas companheiras que se complementam. Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar retornos agro-bioeconomicos advindos do consorcio rabanete-alface em diversas quantidades equitativas de biomassa de jitirana (Merremia aegyptia) e for-de-seda (Calot