TECHNICAL AND ECONOMICAL ASSESSMENT OF CORN, GRAIN SORGHUM AND MILLET IN SINGLE CROP AND INTERCROPPING MANAGEMENT WITH Urochloa ruziziensis

Abstract

This work aimed to perform a technical-economic evaluation of the grain production of maize, sorghum and millet, in single-crop and intercropped management systems with Urochloa ruziziensis. The experiment was carried using a randomized blocks design in triplicate, with of six treatments: 1) sorghum single-crop/millet single-crop/maize single-crop (SSC/MILSC/MSC); 2) maize single-crop/sorghum single-crop/millet single-crop (MSC/SSC/MILSC);3) millet single-crop/maize single-crop/sorghum single-crop (MILSC/MSC/SSC); 4) resting/maize intercropped/grass (R/MIC/G); 5) resting/sorghum intercropping/grass (R/SIC/G) and 6) resting/millet intercropping/grass (R/MILIC/G).The variables evaluated were dry matter (DM), rates of production and decomposition, extraction of nutrients byplant shoots, grain yield, harvest index (HI) and conversion efficiency of N-fertilizer (CENF). The final result of totalDM produced after the off-season production in 2008 was, in descending order: MILSC/MSC/SSC > SSC/ MILSC/MSC = R/ MIC/G > MSC/SSC/MILSC = R/SIC/G = R/MILIC/G. No difference in yield was observed between themanagement systems in the 2007/2008 season. Millet had the lowest HI among the grasses and CENF presentedascending order for maize, millet and sorghum.

Keywords

• total operating cost
• leaf analysis
• conversion efficiency of N-fertilizer
• break-even point