Productivity and Economic Viability of Intercropping of Cucumber and Lettuce, in Southern Tocantins, Brazil

Abstract

In Brazil, vegetable consumption grows every year, as it has many advantages, from the supply of food to the medicinal value, which makes it necessary to optimize the use of land by producers, and an alternative used is the intercropping. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the productivity and economic viability of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in two different cropping systems (intercropped and monoculture). The production of seedlings was held at UFT —Gurupi Campus and the experiment conducted in a given area featuring 13m wide and 23 m in length, totaling 299 m2, in the period between June and August of 2018. The area mentioned was used for the production of Lucy Brown lettuce, and the ‘Caipira’ variety of cucumber. The experiment was conducted in a cazualized block with four replications and three treatments, which were incorporated in: monoculture of cucumber (T1), monoculture of lettuce (T2), and consortium of lettuce with cucumber (T3). Lettuce and cucumber in monoculture presented the best answers for all variables analyzed when compared with the consortium. The index of equivalence area (IEA) was calculated to assess the efficiency of crops in both production systems. And the value found for the IEA showed that the consortium is efficient within the production system. According to the technical coefficients relating to deployment, conducting plants and their production costs, the Consortium has proven economically viable.