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、提升蔬菜种植者经济效益的生产模式，因其能够更高效地利用土地与农业投入品。为评估生菜株密度对两个生长季（冬季与夏季）生菜-芝麻菜间作系统经济可行性的影响，研究于巴西圣保罗州雅布蒂卡瓦尔市的若昂·德·梅斯基塔·菲略圣保罗州立大学（UNESP）田间开展了两项试验。试验处理包括5组生菜-芝麻菜间作模式，生菜行间间距分别为0.20、0.25、0.30、0.35与0.40 m；5组单作生菜模式，其行间间距与对应间作系统采用的间距一致；以及1组芝麻菜单作模式，行间间距为0.20 m。本研究采用完全随机区组设计，设置4次重复。冬季试验中，最高种植密度可实现最高收益；而两个生长季的作物最高收益均出现在夏季试验中。