Soil efficiency in corn, cilantro, bean, and squash crops, with different spatial arrangements, Chone Canton 2021

Resumen

Sustainable soil management is a priority challenge in agriculture in the province of Manabí, where traditional monoculture practices limit productivity and the conservation of natural resources. In this context, the crop association is presented as an agroecological alternative to optimize land use and improve the profitability of agricultural systems. The present work focuses on Manabí and aimed to optimize the use of the soil through the association of crops such as corn, cilantro, beans and pumpkin, with different spatial arrangements. An experimental design was used with two study factors: monoculture and polyculture. In monoculture, corn, cowpeas, squash and coriander were planted, while in polyculture, the combinations of maize + cowpea beans, maize + squash and maize + coriander were established. Seven treatments were evaluated in six blocks, in a total area of 2072 m². For the statistical analysis, Student's t-test distribution was used, comparing treatments with and without association. The total useful plot was harvested, weighing the uncoated cobs and randomly selecting 10 for analysis. The results showed that the maize-pumpkin association presented the highest yield indices compared to maize-beans, maize-coriander and maize monoculture, being considered the best option. In addition, the corn-cilantro treatment obtained the highest marginal rate of return (270.4 %), far exceeding the minimum rate of return (100 %). It is concluded that the association of crops improves yield, highlighting corn-squash as the best alternative for small and medium-sized producers in Manabí, promoting a more efficient use of the soil and higher incomes.