Intercropping is a cultivation system that aims to achieve high productivity per unit area and promote the sustainability of the production system. The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic viability and economic yield of taro (Colocasia esculenta) intercropped (additive association) with snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) of indeterminate growth habit. The experiment was conducted in the vegetable experimental field of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, from October 2011 to June 2012. The experiment consisted of seven treatments represented by three intercrops of taro with snap beans set up at 0, 21, and 42 days after the taro planting, and four monocroppings, represented by three of snap bean established in the same times of the intercropping with taro and taro monocropping. The experiments were arranged in a randomized block design with four replications. The propagative material used was the taro clone 'Japonês' and seeds of snap bean variety 'Estrela'. The determination of crop production costs was based on the operational production costs. All the intercropping systems were agronomically viable showing Land Use Efficiency (LUE) above 1. The intercropp snap bean with taro implemented at 0 and 21 days after the taro planting showed the best results for providing the highest economic yield.
Colacasia esculenta; Phaseolus vulgaris; profitability; yield; family farming
