The work was carried out in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, between May 10th, 2002, and July 18th, 2002, in a Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico, clay texture. The fresh mass yield and gross income of 'Todo ano' bunching onion and of 'Nova Zelândia' spinach cultivated under mono-crop and inter-crop system were evaluated. Bunching onion under mono-crop system (C), spinach under mono-crop system (E) and bunching onion/spinach under inter-crop system (CE) were studied and arranged in a randomized block experimental design with six replications. Spinach propagation was done by seed and of bunching onion by cutting. Harvest of bunching onion and spinach was done at 69 days after the beginning of propagation by cutting the leaves of bunching onion plants, near the soil, and above the first new bud of spinach branches. Fresh mass yields in t ha-1 and inter-crop system were evaluated using the expression of land equivalent ration (LER). Validation of inter-crop system was done by gross income per each culture and total, using the prices paid to producer. Bunching onion and spinach plants, as under mono-crop as under inter-crop system, had different performances, with an average of 1.59 t ha-1 for bunching onion and 19.70 t ha-1 for spinach. Fresh mass yield of bunching onion and spinach plants under mono-crop system presented respectively, increases of 35.55% (0.48 t ha-1) and of 23.74% (4.18 t ha-1) in relation to those under inter-crop system. Land equivalent ratio (LER), considering fresh mass yield of cultures, was of 1.55, which indicates that inter-crop system was effective. For bunching onion producers, the inter-crop system using bunching onion/spinach inter-crop system was the best, since it could have induced monetary increases per hectare of R$ 52,698.34. For spinach producer, spinach/bunching onion inter-crop system was the worst, since it could have induced monetary decrease per hectare of R$ 6,678.28.
Allium fistulosum; Tetragonia expansa; crop association; productivity; income
