| Abstrakt: |
The study aimed to assess the leaf yield and economic indicators of organic kale cultivation in relation to plant density. The experiment was conducted at the Seridó Ecological Site in Rio Branco, AC. The seedlings were produced using seeds, substrate, and plastic cups. Plants were grown in a plant nursery with 2 m of lateral ceiling height and 3.5 m of central ceiling height, covered with a 100 µ transparent film. Planting was performed at the densities of 3.6, 4.2, 5.0, 6.3, and 8.3 plants m-2, in triple rows spaced 0.40 m from each other and 0.50 m between triple rows. Within the row, plants were spaced 0.30 m, 0.40 m, 0.50 m, 0.60 m, and 0.70 m. The following parameters were evaluated: leaf fresh mass, leaf fresh mass per plant, number of bunches, fixed, variable, and total costs, mean total cost, net and total revenues, family labor remuneration, profit rate, profitability index, production for full coverage, and benefit to cost ratio. The increase in plant density reduced the leaf fresh mass and the leaf fresh mass per plant and increased the leaf yield per unit area. The highest yield achieved with the increase in plant density linearly reduced the mean cost of kale leaf bunches while linearly increased the net and total revenues, the remuneration of family labor, the profit rate, the profitability index, the minimum yield for full cost coverage, and the variable and total costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
