Yacon planting density in intercropping with corn under banana orchard

Abstract

Yacon is a crop which requires development of strategies for its cultivation. One of the possibilities is to introduce yacon in perennial crops using intercropping system. The aim of this study was to evaluate different planting densities of yacon grown in intercropping with corn under banana orchard, verifying its development and production. At 90 days after planting, morphological and physiological evaluations were done, at 210 days yacon was harvested, and its productivity calculated using the fresh tuberous root production. The Area Equivalence Index (IEA), and the Relative Contribution of Crops (CRC) to IEA were calculated. Yacon development and production were hampered by the corn intercropping (under the banana orchard), regardless of the yacon density used. IEA increased with yacon and corn intercropping in relation to greater CRC of corn to the intercropping and its market value, the system presented higher gross income. Planting yacon under banana orchard optimizes the use of the area and it is profitable for the farmer, especially when yacon is planted in double rows, alternating between banana rows, spacing 0.3 and 0.4 m.

How to enhance the agronomic performance of cactus-sorghum intercropped system: planting configurations, density and orientation

“…Crop shading in intercropping systems can reduce the incidence of light on the smaller crop, causing a reduction in photoassimilates and, consequently, a reduction in the productivity of the shaded crop (Franck et al, 2013;Almeida et al, 2014). This directly influences plant physiology and results in lower levels of chlorophyll compared to plants in full sun (Texeira et al, 2020;Jardim et al, 2021b). In the case of sorghum, the orientation did not affect the yield, which can be explained by the high capacity of C4 crops to absorb solar radiation (Corrêa et al, 2019).…”