DURACIÓN DEL CICLO BIOLÓGICO Y SUS FENOFASES PARA LA VARIEDAD INCA-17 EN SISTEMAS DE MONOCULTIVO Y POLICULTIVO FUERA DEL PERÍODO ÓPTIMO

✉ ✉ ✉ ✉ , Elein Terry, A. Leon y F. Soto ABSTRACT. In areas of the Experimental Station of Tapaste, at the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, a study was carried out to determine the duration of the tomato variety INCA-17 biological cycle and its the different phenological phases in two cropping systems: monoculture at full sun exposure and polyculture using maize as natural shade, with the objective of evaluating phytoclimatical modifications in both systems and plant response to these modifications in each phase. The spatial arrangement for polyculture consisted of two maize rows on both sides of three tomato rows, where maize was seeded 30 days before trasplanting tomatoes and all the rows were oriented N-S. Results showed differences in the duration of crop biological cycle for both sowing periods, which had nothing to do with the average air temperature throughout crop cycle, but with the duration and average air temperature on each particular phase; also, the type of agricultural system caused a differentiated biological plant response through yield and its components. Results proved the convenience of using systems that modify phytoclimate to obtain higher yields than the ones from monoculture plantations in the nonoptimal period.