ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF LETTUCE INTERCROPPED WITH ROCKET IN FUNCTION OF SPACING AND GROWING SEASON

ABSTRACT Intercropping is a production system that can reduce the production cost and increase the profitability of vegetable producers, since it permits more efficient land and agricultural inputs use. In order to evaluate the effect of lettuce plant density on the economic feasibility of lettuce-rocket intercropping system over two growing seasons (winter and summer), two experiments were conducted in the field at São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil. The treatments consisted of five lettuce-rocket intercrops with spacing between lettuce rows of: 0.20; 0.25; 0.30; 0.35 and 0.40 m, five sole crop of lettuce in the same spacing between rows adopted in the intercropping system, and a sole cropping of rocket with spacing between rows of 0.20 m. The statistical design adopted was the complete randomized block with four replicates. During winter, higher profitability was achieved with the highest population density. Highest profitability of the crops in both seasons was obtained in summer.

摘要 间作（intercropping）是一种可降低生产成本、提升蔬菜种植者收益的种植模式，因其能够更高效地利用土地与农业生产投入。为评估生菜（lettuce）种植密度对两季（冬季与夏季）生菜-火箭菜（rocket）间作系统的经济可行性的影响，研究于巴西圣保罗州圣保罗州立大学“胡利奥·德梅斯基塔·菲略”分校（UNESP）雅布蒂卡瓦尔校区的田间开展了两项试验。试验处理共包含5组生菜-火箭菜间作组合，生菜行间距分别设置为0.20、0.25、0.30、0.35与0.40 m；5组单作生菜处理，行间距与对应间作组合完全一致；以及1组单作火箭菜处理，行间距为0.20 m。本试验采用完全随机区组设计（complete randomized block），设置4次重复。试验结果显示：冬季试验中，最高种植密度的处理可获得最高收益；而在两个生长季中，夏季种植的作物整体收益均为最高。