Produção, qualidade e aspectos econômicos da produção de melão em sistema conservacionista

This study aimed to assess the productivity, the cost of production and fruit quality of yellow melon culture with different species of plants for green manure, built or maintained on the ground in conventional and no-till systems, respectively. The test was conducted at Agrícola Famosa, municipality of Tibau/RN, in a split-plot, distributed in a randomized block design with four replications. The main plots received two tillage systems (direct and conventional) and the subplots received twelve combinations of plants for green manure (Crotalaria; Millet; Sunnhemp + millet, more braquiaria Corn, spontaneous vegetation + compound more polyethylene film, Solo maintained without vegetation ; spontaneous vegetation; Guandu; Guandu + millet; Pork Beans, Beans pig-+ millet and soil without removing the cover (natural vegetation) + corn + Braquiaria + polyethylene film), incorporated (conventional tillage) or maintained on the soil (tillage). In each subplot, the dry weight of biomass yield was evaluated, using a framework of 0.25 m². In the first stage of the experiment, using the data obtained from melon, we determined the number of fruits per plant; average fruit weight and total and commercial productivity for export, besides the remaining dry mass of plant ground covers (straw). In the second stage, we evaluated the quality characteristics of fruits of melon (number of fruits per plant, average mass of fruits, longitudinal and transverse lengths, pulp thickness, firmness, pH, soluble solids (SS), acidity total (AT) and soluble / total acidity solid ratio (SS/TA) and total sugars) cultivated with different incorporated green manures or maintained on the ground in conventional tillage systems and direct, respectively. In the third step, we assessed the cost of production of yellow melon in each combination of plants to incorporated green manure or maintained on the ground, in conventional and no-till systems. The cost for cultural practice were estimated from the technical coefficients (inputs and operations) recorded in the experiment and extrapolated to one hectare. We considered economically viable those cultural practices which obtained a favorable benefit/cost to 1.0. It was found that the highest production of dry straw was obtained in treatments with more braquiaria followed corn millet consortium + Crotalaria and the single millet, which also showed low rate of decomposition. There was no variation between green manures incorporated on the production of melons. The no-tillage system produced higher number of fruits per plant, however smaller. The conventional tillage system presented higher yield compared to tillage. In the second trial, it was found that no-till system kept most of the qualitative characteristics of melon fruit in comparison to conventional tillage and no variation between most of the qualitative characteristics of melon fruit recommended for the green manure. With regard to production costs, treatments at the till system showed lower cost compared to conventional tillage due to the cost of polyethylene film and plowing and harrowing operations and placing the film on conventional tillage. All cultural practices in both tillage systems were considered economically viable, because they have a favorable benefit/cost of more than 1.0. However, the treatments with the production of corn for the production of green ears, intercropped with Braquiaria, stood out the best benefit / cost ratio due to the increase of revenue from the sale of green ears, in both tillage systems. The best benefit/cost ratio was observed in the treatments with conventional tillage due to the lower productivity of melon at the till