Produtividade agroeconômica de plantas de taro solteiras e consorciadas com plantas de alface

Abstract

The aim of this work was to determine the agroeconomic yield of ‘Chinês’, ‘Macaquinho’ and ‘Verde’ taro clones in the monocrop system, as well as in the intercropping with iceberg and crisphead lettuce cultivation. The study has been carried out at Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD) in Dourados-MS, between September 2012 and May 2013. The taro clones and the lettuce cultivation were allocated in the field in a joint experiment, consisting of 11 treatments, all arranged in the experimental delineation of casualized blocks, with four repetitions. The lettuce was cropped 50 days after the transplanting – DAT and the Verde, Macaquinho and Chinês taro clones were cropped 190, 210 and 240 days after planting – DAP, respectively. The largest numbers of marketable heads were the crisphead lettuce crops intercropped with ‘Verde’ taro (119.790,00 heads ha-1), which overcame by 79.170,00 heads ha-1 in relation to the intercropped cultivation of crisphead lettuce and ‘Chinês’ taro, which showed the lowest results. The Chinês taro-clone plants registered maximum height of 58,46cm at 112 DAP; the tallest ‘Verde’ taro-plant clones were 47,15cm tall at 124 DAP and the ‘Macaquinho’ taro-clone pants recorded 43,26cm at 133 DAP. The greatest fresh and dry mass cormels that were marketable were the monocropped ‘Verde’ taro-clone plants, which surpassed by 15,43 and 4,02 t ha-1, respectively, the average of ‘Verde’ and ‘Macaquinho’ taro plants intercropped with iceberg lettuce, which recorded the lowest numbers. Considering the net income per hectare, all the intercrops would be feasible for the taro producers, but the lettuce producers would have an increased profit it they adopted the intercrop of ‘Verde’ and ‘Macaquinho’ taro plants with crisphead lettuce, and ‘Chinês’ taro plants with iceberg lettuce. As a conclusion, in order to obtain an increased yield and net income, the taro and lettuce producers would rather cultivate ‘Verde’ taro-clone plants intercropped with crisphead lettuce.