Results are presented of a intercropping system of corn (Z. mays), beans (P. vulgaris) and cowpea (V. unguiculata) with plantains (Musa AAB) in Teolandia, South Coast of Bahia region in two successive plantations of these crops, being one simultaneous to the establishment of the plantain and the other right after the first harvest. Plants spacing in double rows were used (4.0 x 2.0 x 3.0 m, 4.0 x 2.0 x 2.6 m and 4.0 x 2.0 x 2.8 m) and were the most efficient space arrangements of intercropping for a longer period of time. Corn, beans or the cowpea, occupied only the rows between the double rows of the plantains, whereas the interrows remained free in order to avoid shading effect of the plantain. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the performance of corn, beans and cowpea crops in addition of values in plantains. Rentability index - RI (total income ÷ costs) for the best treatments, (T9, T6, T8 and T4), reached significant values of 3.36 (T4) up to 6.68 (T9) resulting in positive effects due to technology and fertilizers applied, which allow greater addition of values to the banana crop and, consequently, increase the producers income. A RI of 3.36 and 6.68 means that for each Real (R$) invested there was a return of R$ 3,36 and R$ 6,68, respectively. RIs lower than 1.0 indicate that the effect of intercrops on the addition of values of bananas crops was negative, resulting in a decrease of net income, which occurred in treatment T2 that presented RI 0.91.
Intercropping; yield; operational costs; budgets; lucrative index
