The cherry tomato under an organic system inoculated with Trichoderma asperellum and intercropped with vegetables of family fabaceae1

Abstract

The use of growth-promoting microorganisms and the intercropping of agricultural crops can be an advantageous alternative in family farming and organic production systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the productivity and quality of the cherry tomato inoculated with T. asperellum (GEBio R) and intercropped with fabaceous vegetables. The experimental design was of randomised blocks, with and without the application of T. asperellum in cultivars of the cherry tomato under single cultivation (control), and intercropped with chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) ‘BRS Aleppo', the common white lupin (L.), and/or the snow pea (Pisum sativum L. var. saccharatum), with four replications. The following were evaluated: dry-weight production in the fabaceae, and leaf chlorophyll content, productivity, fruit quality and sensory analysis in the cherry tomato, in addition to the land equivalent ratio (LER). The white lupin had greater dry biomass and showed competition with the cherry tomato, reducing productivity; however, due to grain production, the LER was higher compared to the monocrop. The snow pea and the chickpea produced less biomass compared to the white lupin, and increased the relative leaf chlorophyll index in the cherry tomato. The intercrops showed similar production to the monocrop. The sensory analysis did not differentiate the cherry tomatoes by treatment. Inoculating with T. asperellum increased productivity in the cherry tomato by 38% over time, regardless of the intercrop.