ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF MAIZE (FOR GREEN CORN PRODUCTION) AND COMMON BEAN INTERCROPPING

The cultivation of maize intercropped with common bean is an alternative for dry season once, besides the production of green corn or commercialization and bean for subsistence, it is possible the use of the green mass and ear-refuse in animal feeding. The objective of this work was to evaluate the economic viability of the cultivation of common bean and maize for green corn, in monoculture and intercropped. Experiments were done at the Polo Regional Extremo Oeste Paulista-APTA, in Andradina, São Paulo, in 2005 and 2006. Three bean cultivars, Colibri, IAC Carioca and Juriti, and the maize Cativerde 02 variety and XB 7012 double hybrid were cultivated. The annual cost of production was calculated through total operational cost and the profitability indicators (gross income, profit operating and profitability index). In monoculture, common bean presented higher cost of production than corn. Green corn production, as in monoculture or intercropped, was more lucrative than bean in monoculture. The profitability indexes of the intercropping reached up to 73%, being an interesting activity from the economic point of view. The highest economic return was obtained in the intercropping with hybrid maize and the common bean cultivars Juriti and Colibri. Nevertheless, XB 7012 hybrid presented lower grain quality than Cativerde 02 maize variety.