Josimar Nogueora da Silva

Productive and economic efficiency of carrot intercropped with cowpea-vegetable resulting from green manure and different spatial arrangements

The aim of this study was to evaluate the agro-economic efficiency of intercropping carrot with cowpea-vegetable in relation to the amounts of biomass of Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br. (known locally as flor-de-seda) incorporated into the soil, and to different spatial arrangements. The study was carried out under field conditions from August to November of 2014, at the Experimental Farm ‘Rafael Fernandes’ of the Rural Federal University of the Semi-Arid (RFUSA), in Mossoro, in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The experimental design was a randomised complete blocks in a 4 x 3 factorial, consisting of a combination of four different amounts of flor-de-seda biomass incorporated into the soil (20, 35, 50 and 65 t ha-1 of dry matter) and three spatial arrangements for the crop rows (2 x 2, 3 x 3 and 4 x 4). The carrot and cowpea cultivars used were ꞌBrasiliaꞌ and ꞌBRS Itaimꞌ. The characteristics under evaluation in the carrot were total, commercial and classified root production (scrap, short, medium and long). For the cowpea-vegetable, the following were evaluated: number, productivity and dry matter weight of green pods, number of grains per pod, 100-grain weight and yield of green grains. The agro-economic efficiency indices evaluated in the intercropping were: land equivalent ratio for the system and partial land equivalent ratios for the crops, monetary advantage and modified monetary advantage. The greatest agro-economic efficiency with the intercrop system was recorded in the biomass amount of 30 t ha-1 flor-de-seda. The 2 x 2 spatial arrangement resulted in greater system efficiency. The use of flor-de-seda as green manure is economically viable for the farmer when intercrop carrot with cowpea-vegetable.

Agro-economic responsiveness of radish associations with cowpea in the presence of different amounts of Calotropis procera, spatial arrangements and agricultural crops

The integration of research emphasizing sustainable development, employment, income generation and food security has been highlighted in the media. The objective of this research was to evaluate the agro-economic responsiveness of radish associations with cowpea in the presence of different amounts of roostertree, spatial arrangements and agricultural crops. The experimental design was a randomized block design with four replications, with treatments arranged in a 4 x 3 factorial scheme, where the first factor consisted of four amounts of C. procera incorporated in the soil (20, 35, 50 and 65 t ha-1 on a dry basis) and the second factor of three spatial arrangements (2:2, 3:3, and 4:4) in two cropping seasons. Radish samples were evaluated for plant height, dry mass of shoots, total and commercial productivity of roots, productivity of scrap roots, and dry mass of roots, while in cowpea, vegetation was assessed for length of green pods, number of pods per square meter, productivity and dry mass of green pods, number of green grains per pod, weight of 100 green grains, and yield and dry mass of green grains. The economic indicators of monetary advantage and modified monetary advantage were used in the evaluation of efficiency. A greater agro-economic responsiveness of the intercropping of radish and cowpea crops was obtained with the incorporation of 56.44 t ha-1 of C. procera. The spatial arrangements of 3:3 and 4:4 had better agronomic and economic responsiveness. The association between radish and cowpea is feasible when the crops are fertilized with C. procera.