Economic viability of the lettuce, bertalha and taro intercropping under agroecological crop system

Abstract

The experiment was conducted from October 2014 to June 2015, at Fazenda Água Limpa -
UnB, Brasília, DF. The experimental design was completely randomized, with seven treatments
and four replicates. The treatments were: lettuce monoculture, bertalha monoculture, taro monoculture,
double intercropping lettuce/bertalha, double intercropping lettuce / taro, double
intercropping bertalha/taro and triple intercropping lettuce/bertalha/taro. In all treatments were
used: 0,25 x 0,25m for lettuce, 0,6 x 1,0m for bertalha and 0,3 x 1,0m for taro. During the intercropping
occurred two harvests of lettuce, two of bertalha and one of taro. All the intercropping
arrangements evaluated presented area equivalence indexes higher than 1,0. The profitability
index was higher than 85%, except for bertalha monoculture. The best economic results were
obtained in the taro/lettuce intercropping, which provided an increase in productivity and an
increase in rentability. The cultivation of vegetables in a intercropping system proved to be economically
viable and represents an alternative for the rescue of traditional species.