Sugarcane Intercropped with Oil Seeds in the Southern Brazil.

Based on the current increasing demand for food and biofuel, the study focused on the performance evaluation of oilseed-sugarcane intercropping system. Experimental plots of sugarcane and intercrops were installed in April of 2015, in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil (-22.70456S, -47.62284W, 540m). The wide grown Brazilian sugarcane cultivar RB867515 was planted in single rows of 1.4m, intercropped with two rows of three oilseeds cultivars (Canola cv. Hyola 61; Canola cv. Hyola 401; Crambe cv. FMS Brilhante) between sugarcane rows. Weather data showed average daily temperatures ranged from 15.2°C to 20.1°C, average global solar radiation of 15.65 MJ m^-2 d^-1, and 153mm of rain from April to August, as expected for this season in Piracicaba. Canola and Crambe were harvested late in August or in the beginning September. The average yields were 1,131.4 kg ha^-1 for Crambe cv. FSM Brilhante, 1,167.8 kg ha^-1 for Canola cv. Hyola 61 and 1,055.0 kg ha^-1 for Canola cv. Hyola 401. Eight months after oilseeds harvest, in April, 2016, the sugarcane plots were also harvested. Over that period weather benefited the sugarcane development with rainfall 1,300 mm rains normally distributed. Sugarcane stalk fresh mass reached 74,3 ton ha^-1 for single sugarcane, 87,6 ton ha^-1 for sugarcane x crambe, 74,2 ton ha^-1 for sugarcane x canola cv. Hyola 61 and 63,8 tons ha^-1 for sugarcane x canola cv. Hyola 401. Experimental results also showed effects in the qualitative analysis of sugarcane and points out for the potential adaptability of this sugarcane cultivar to intercrops and earliest harvest.