Abstract

Characterised as a traditional technique for the production of food and biomass, intercropping is a practice mainly used by small rural producers. In general, the practice has sought to maximise the use of environmental resources in an area, as well as to promote the ecological balance of different ecosystems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of radish intercropped with coriander in a region of semi-arid climate. The experimental design was of randomised complete blocks, with five replications per treatment: 1) ‘Cometo’ radish intercropped with coriander, 2) monocropped ‘Cometo’ radish, 3) ‘Saxa’ radish intercropped with coriander, 4) monocropped ‘Saxa’ radish, and 5) monocropped coriander. The coriander and/or radish plants from each treatment were harvested 30 days after sowing. The following parameters were evaluated in the radish: number of leaves per plant, fresh shoot weight, shoot length, taproot length, taproot diameter, taproot weight and productivity; while in the coriander the following were evaluated: number of stems per plant, fresh shoot weight, shoot length and productivity. The Area Equivalence Efficiency (AEE) was also evaluated for the main crop. The ‘Saxa’ radish showed the highest productivity, both as a single crop and when intercropped (15.40 and 14.32 t ha^-1 of root, respectively). AEE values were greater than 1 in both intercrops, 2.13 and 1.70 for the intercropped ‘Cometo’ and ‘Saxa’ radish respectively, showing this cropping system to be an important way of optimising coriander cultivation in the area of study.

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