The experiment was carried out from June to September 2003, in the field, in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, to evaluate the lettuce bicropping agronomic performance in intercropping systems with carrot in a strip arrangement under different planting densities of component crops. The experimental design used was of randomized complete blocks in a 4x4 factorial scheme with five replications. The treatments of the factorial consisted of the combination of four lettuce-planting densities [40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the recommended sole crop density (RSCD)] with four carrot-planting densities (40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the RSCD). The recommended planting densities for lettuce and carrot in sole crop were of 250.000 and 500.000 plants/ha, respectively. The planted lettuce and carrot cultivars were respectively: Tainá and Brasília. Evaluations of plant height and diameter, number of leaves and fresh weight per plant, shoot dry mass, and leaf productivity were made in the lettuce crop. In the carrot crop, total and commercial yields of roots were evaluated. There was no significant interaction between lettuce densities and carrot densities in any assessed trait of both crops. In the first lettuce growing, the increase of planting density increased significantly lettuce leaf yield and decreased plant height and fresh mass per plant. Increasing in the association of planting densities of both crops increased shoot dry mass of lettuce. In the second lettuce growing, the increase of planting density increased significantly plant height, leaf productivity and shoot dry mass, besides decreasing fresh mass per plant. As the association of carrot and lettuce planting densities increased, the total and commercial yield of roots increased.
Daucus carota; Lactuca sativa; agronomic performance; intercropping systems
