RESUMO O equilíbrio entre o tempo de alternância do fluxo da solução nutritiva visando o melhor desempenho agronômico e menor custo de produção é de fundamental importância no cultivo hidropônico. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar efeito da periodicidade de exposição à solução nutritiva em sistema hidropônico NFT, na produção, nutrição e rentabilidade de alface americana. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com cinco repetições. Os tratamentos foram quatro combinações de intermitência de exposição da solução nutritiva em intervalos de bombeamento / intervalo de ausência de bombeamento, sendo estes em minutos: 15/60; 15/30; 15/15 e FI (Fluxo ininterrupto da solução nutritiva). A colheita foi realizada aos 30 DAT sendo massa fresca total, do sistema radicular e da parte aérea das 15 plantas de alface de cada uma das parcelas experimentais. Também foram avaliados os teores de N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn e Zn na parte aérea, raízes e na folha diagnose da alface e calculados os acúmulos dos mesmos de nutrientes na parte aérea e raízes das plantas. Ademais, determinou-se os teores de nitrato e amônio na parte aérea da alface. A maior produção e rentabilidade de alface americana foi obtida com fluxo ininterrupto (FI) da solução nutritiva, devido ao maior acúmulo de nutrientes na parte aérea e raiz e eficiência de utilização de nutrientes. | ABSTRACT A balanced periodicity of the nutrient solution flow is essential for better agronomic performances and low production costs in hydroponic systems. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of periodicity of exposure of lettuce plants to the nutrient solution in an NFT hydroponic system on the production, nutrition, and profitability of this crop. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with five replications. The treatments consisted of four periodicities of exposure of lettuce plants to the nutrient solution, consisting of intervals of 60, 30, and 15 minutes between pumping periods of 15 minutes; and uninterrupted flow of the nutrient solution. The plants were harvested at 30 days after transplanting, and 15 lettuce plants of each experimental plot were used to determine total fresh weight; root fresh weight; shoot freshweight; and contents of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn in shoots, roots, and in the diagnostic leaf; accumulation of these nutrients in shoots and roots; and nitrate and ammonium contents in plant shoot. The highest production and profitability of lettuce were found using uninterrupted nutrient solution flow, which provided higher shoot and root nutrient contents to plants, and resulted in a better nutrient use efficiency.

RESUMO A produção de hortaliças é uma atividade impactante, que se caracteriza pelo uso intensivo do solo, alta demanda de insumos e requer adoção estratégica de manejo, sobretudo em sistemas de produção sustentável, em que os pilares da sustentabilidade (ambiental, social e econômico) devem ser respeitados. Neste sentido, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar indicadores econômicos da produção de alface adubada com espécie espontânea da Caatinga (Calotropis procera: Flor-de-seda) e cultivada em duas épocas (primavera e outono-inverno), no município de Serra Talhada-PE. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com os tratamentos arranjados em esquema fatorial 4 x 4, com três repetições, sendo o primeiro fator: as quantidades de biomassa do adubo verde (5,4; 8,8; 12,2 e 15,6 t ha-1 em base seca); e o segundo: seus tempos de incorporação ao solo (0, 10, 20 e 30 dias antes do transplantio da alface). Além do rendimento de massa verde e dos custos de produção, foram determinadas as rendas bruta e líquida, taxa de retorno e índice de lucratividade. A quantidade de 15,6 t ha-1 de C. procera possibilitou maior rentabilidade à produção orgânica de alface, sendo considerado ideal incorporar o adubo verde 11 (primavera) e 15 (outono-inverno) dias antes do transplantio da hortaliça. O cultivo de primavera promoveu retorno econômico superior ao plantio de outono-inverno, demonstrando viabilidade econômica mesmo na menor quantidade de C. procera. | ABSTRACT Vegetable production is an impactful activity, characterized by intensive land use, high input demand, and it requires strategic management adoption, especially in sustainable production systems, where the pillars of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) must be respected. In this sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate economic indicators of lettuce production using Caatinga spontaneous species (Calotropis procera: rooster tree) as fertilizer and cultivated in two seasons (spring and fall-winter) in the municipality of Serra Talhada, PE. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, arranged in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme, with three replications. The first factor was the biomass amounts of green manure (5.4, 8.8, 12.2 and 15.6 t ha-1 on a dry basis); and the second was their incorporation times in the soil (0, 10, 20 and 30 days before lettuce transplanting). The green mass yield, production costs, rate of return, and net profit margin were determined. The amount 15.6 t ha-1 of C. procera allowed higher profitability to the organic production of lettuce, and it is considered ideal to incorporate the green manure 11 (spring) and 15 (fall-winter) days before transplanting the vegetable. The spring crop promoted a superior economic return to the fall-winter planting, demonstrating economic viability even in the smallest amount of C. procera.

RESUMO A consorciação de culturas é um sistema de produção capaz de reduzir os custos produtivos e aumentar a rentabilidade dos produtores de hortaliças, uma vez que ele possibilita o uso mais eficiente da área e dos insumos agrícolas. Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito da densidade de plantas de alface na viabilidade econômica do consórcio de alface e rúcula, em duas épocas de cultivo (inverno e verão), dois experimentos foram instalados em campo, na Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brasil. Os tratamentos corresponderam a cinco consórcios de alface com rúcula nos espaçamentos entre linhas da alface de: 0,20; 0,25; 0,30; 0,35 e 0,40 m, cinco cultivos solteiros de alface nos mesmos espaçamentos adotados em consórcio, e um cultivo solteiro de rúcula no espaçamento entre linhas de 0,20 m. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualizados completos, com quatro repetições. No inverno, maior rentabilidade é obtida com a maior densidade populacional. Maior rentabilidade das culturas, em ambas épocas de cultivo é obtida no verão. | ABSTRACT Intercropping is a production system that can reduce the production cost and increase the profitability of vegetable producers, since it permits more efficient land and agricultural inputs use. In order to evaluate the effect of lettuce plant density on the economic feasibility of lettuce-rocket intercropping system over two growing seasons (winter and summer), two experiments were conducted in the field at São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil. The treatments consisted of five lettuce-rocket intercrops with spacing between lettuce rows of: 0.20; 0.25; 0.30; 0.35 and 0.40 m, five sole crop of lettuce in the same spacing between rows adopted in the intercropping system, and a sole cropping of rocket with spacing between rows of 0.20 m. The statistical design adopted was the complete randomized block with four replicates. During winter, higher profitability was achieved with the highest population density. Highest profitability of the crops in both seasons was obtained in summer.

ABSTRACT Garlic is a vegetable that has a high economic importance for Brazil. However, despite increases in garlic bulb production in the last years, Brazil is still dependent on imported garlic to meet the national demand. Thus, proper management practices and the use of virus-free clove-seeds are promising alternatives to ensure a high productivity and profitability. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate production characteristics and profitability of conventional and virus-free garlic crops as a function of different clove-seed sizes and plant spacings. Two experiments were conducted simultaneously, using virus-free and conventional garlic plants in Portalegre, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, in a randomized block experimental design, with four replications. The treatments were arranged in split-plot, with the clove-seed size (large and small) in the plots, and the spacing between plants (7.5, 10.0, 12.5, and 15.0 cm) in the subplots. The combination between the use of virus-free clove-seeds, large clove-seed size, and spacing of 12.5 cm between plants resulted in the highest commercial bulb yield and net income, R$ (BRL) 85,151.00 ha-1. The use of large clove-seeds and spacing of 7.5 cm between plants are recommended for conventional garlic crops.

ABSTRACT The sesame crop has great economic potential due to the various possibilities of exploitation, however, there is a lack of information about the chemical control of weeds in the crop, mainly about the application of herbicides in pre-emergence. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the economic viability and efficacy of herbicides applied in pre-emergence for the control of weeds in the sesame crop. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four replications. The treatments consisted of seven herbicides (diuron, flumioxazin, oxadiazon, oxyfluorfen, metribuzin, linuron, and S-metolachlor) and a mixture (metribuzin + oxyfluorfen) applied in pre-emergence. The two control treatments were weeded and nonweeded plots. The variables evaluated were percentage of control of the weed community, grain yield, gross and net income, rate of return, and profitability index. The highest productivity value was for weeding, followed by the herbicides diuron and flumioxazin, with 2,000.44 kg ha-1, 1,957.35 kg ha-1;, and 1,933.13 kg ha-1, respectively. The herbicides diuron and flumioxazin obtained the highest net income, in the amounts of R$ 7,831.26 and R$ 7,762.85, respectively. The diuron and flumioxazin applied in pre-emergence showed more than 80% in the control of weeds in the sesame crop, showing efficiency in the control. The use of herbicides applied in pre-emergence to control weeds, mainly diuron and flumioxazin, is as efficient as mechanical control, demonstrating the potential for use and economic viability in relation to mechanical control, which presents a high cost/benefit ratio.

ABSTRACT The use of green manure from spontaneous species has gained prominence for vegetable crops focused on environmental sustainability and is an alternative method for the Semiarid region in the Northeast of Brazil. Two experiments were conducted in two growing seasons (autumn and spring-summer), in Serra Talhada, PE, Brazil, to evaluate the effects of different amounts of biomass of Calotropis procera (roostertree) and incorporation times on the agro-economic performance of beet crops. A randomized block experimental design was used, with three replications, in a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement; the first factor consisted of amounts of C. procera biomass (5.4, 8.8, 12.2, and 15.6 Mg ha-1 on a dry basis) and the second factor consisted of times of incorporation into the soil (0, 10, 20, and 30 days before planting beet). Commercial root yield, production costs, and the following economic indicators were determined: gross income, net income, return rate, and profitability index. The use of 15.6 Mg ha-1 of C. procera biomass resulted in the highest gross and net incomes and the use of 5.4 and 12.2 Mg ha-1 resulted in the best return rates and profitability indexes in autumn and spring-summer seasons, respectively; the planting time was considered as ideal for the biomass incorporation. The spring-summer growing season resulted in a higher economic return than the autumn growing season. The use of C. procera as a green manure for beet production is economically viable, regardless of the factors evaluated.

ABSTRACT Passion fruit production has become an attractive activity due to its social and economic benefits, given the rapid economic return and well-distributed income over most of the year. From this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate the technical and economic indicators of yellow passion fruit cultivation by combining irrigation, protected cultivation, and pollination. The experimental design was in randomized blocks set up in split plots (2 x 2 x 2), with eight treatments and four replicates containing four plants per experimental unit. The protected environment was installed on the upper part of each trellis and consisted of 100 m transparent plastic film as cover material. Irrigation was performed using a micro-sprinkler system, and pollination was either manual or natural (entomophilous). The following parameters were evaluated: commercial yield - estimated for one hectare considering the mass of marketable fruits produced in the plot (30 m2); production cost - capital depreciation, input prices, and labor used in cultivation; economic indicators - profitability index, family labor remuneration, profitability, net income, benefit/cost ratio, and fixed, variable, and total costs. The results show that artificial pollination increased the yield and provided a 41% higher profitability rate than natural pollination; supplemental irrigation, compared to rainfed cultivation, has no positive effects on profitability indices; protected cultivation increases the total cost and does not 0increase the yield; organic passion fruit production provides profitability indices ranging from 60% to 70%.