Lettuce, okra and radish intercropping and effects on agronomic characteristics, yield and area equivalent index

Abstract

The experiment was carried out at Fazenda Agua Limpa, University of Brasilia,  from September 2010 to January 2011. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with eleven treatments and three replicates. The treatments were lettuce (AL), radish (Rb), open space okra (Q1) and traditional space okra (Q2), double intercropping: lettuce and radish (AL/Rb), lettuce and open okra (AL/Q1), lettuce and traditional space okra (AL/Q2), radish and open space okra (Rb/Q1), radish and traditional space okra (Rb/Q2), and triple intercropping lettuce, radish and open space okra (AL/Rb/Q1) and lettuce, radish, and traditional space okra (AL/Rb/Q2). The best development of lettuce, fresh matter, diameter and size, and the smallest percentage of radish loss due to crinkles were observed in the triple intercropping parcels. The highest radish yield were observed in Rb, 7,8 packets per m2, where was also observed the highest root loss, 21,1%. The treatments with the lowest root loss were the triple intercropping. The highest lettuce yield was observed in AL and in the triple intercropping parcels. AL showed the lowest fresh yield per plant, while the parcels of triple intercropping, the highest values. The highest okra yield was observed in Q2, 1,3 kg.m-2 and the treatment that showed the highest yield per plant was AL/Q1/Rb, with 0,51 kg.m-2. It was observed an advantage of the intercropping over the single crop cultivation. And the treatment that presented the highest area equivalent index was the triple intercropping AL/Rb/Q2, with 2,71.