Consórcio milho-abóbora com diferentes variedades comerciais de abóbora

Abstract

Despite the appeal for new forms of cultivation and the growing development of agroecology in recent decades, there is still a limited technical and scientific approach in the area of polyculture, which contributes to the low adoption by farmers. The present study aimed to understand the dynamics and performance of intercropping corn and pumpkin when compared to the implementation of different commercial pumpkin varieties. The experiment was carried out in randomized blocks, with three treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of intercropping corn (Zea mays L.) and a different pumpkin variety: (a) Moranga Exposição (Cucurbita maxima), (b) Mini Paulista (Cucurbita moschata) and (c) Menina Brasileira (Cucurbita moschata). Monoculture control areas were also conducted for each of the crops and varieties studied. Was evaluated: the phenology of the crops; growth variables such as stem diameter, plant height and number of flowers; soil cover of each pumpkin variety; weed population; sex ratio of each pumpkin variety and productivity of each crop and variety. Corn phenology did not change with the treatments, and the phenology of pumpkin varieties showed variations mainly with the increase in the period between the emission of the first male flower and the emission of the first female flower, in addition to the decrease in the period of most intense competition. Growth variables for corn and pumpkin showed no difference between treatments. The percentage of soil cover of the Menina Brasileira and Mini Paulista varieties, with 74 and 88 days after planting, was higher than that of the Moranga Exposição variety, as well as the mass of dry matter of weeds was lower in the treatments that presented greater cover. The productivity of both corn and pumpkins did not show statistical difference. The Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) was only above one for the Mini Paulista and Menina Brasileira varieties, with values of 1.17 and 1.11, respectively. Thus, it is concluded that the treatments with the Mini Paulista and Menina Brasileira varieties were superior, both by the IEA and by the greater percentage of cover and suppression of weeds.