E. Blainski

Winter and summer management strategies for Conyza bonariensis and Bidens pilosa control.

Conyza bonariensis is one of the most important weeds in southern Brazil. The selection of biotypes tolerant and resistant to the herbicide glyphosate has led to increasing demand for alternatives of management strategy to control this species. This work aimed to evaluate the efficiency of different winter and summer management strategy for the control of Conyza bonariensis, by using glyphosate + 2,4-D tank mixtures combined or not with residual herbicides. The different burndown alternatives were applied after corn harvest (winter burndown), associated to applications before soybean sowing (summer burndown) with a total of 15 treatments. Winter burndown options evaluated in this research were efficient in weed desiccation and provided excellent levels of residual weed control up to the next summer soybean pre-sowing. The sowing of oats after winter burndown with subsequent summer burndown with glyphosate+diclosulam + 2,4-D was found to be efficient to control Bidens pilosa. Conyza bonariensis was totally controlled in all the burndown strategies in which the herbicide 2,4-D was associated to glyphosate.

Selectivity of Herbicide Alternatives for Two Cassava Cultivars

It is important to evaluate the tolerance of cassava varieties under new weed chemical control alternatives. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the selectivity of herbicides, applied at pre-emergence, for two important cassava varieties grown in the state of Parana, Brazil. The herbicides and respective doses (g a.i. ha-1) were: diuron (400 and 800), metribuzin (360 and 720), isoxaflutole (60), atrazine (720), S-metolachlor (1,920) and mixtures ametryn+clomazone (1,350+1,900), ametryn + trifluralin (1,500+1,350), isoxaflutole + metribuzin (60+320), isoxaflutole + diuron (60+400), combined with the use of a dual checkl adjacent to each treatment. The cultivars used were Fecula Branca and Fibra. Only herbicide S-metolachlor applied on both cultivars and metribuzin (360 g a.e. ha-1) applied on Fibra did not cause any injury. Atrazine reduced plant density only for Fecula Branca at 60 DAS (days after seeding) but no difference in plant height was detected. Atrazine reduced plant density for cultivar Fecula Branca at 60 DAS, but no plant height reduction was detected. Both atrazine (for both cultivars) and diuron at a dose of 800 g a.i. ha-1 (for Fecula Branca) affected root productivity. Thus, atrazine was considered non-selective for both cultivars and the highest diuron dose was also considered non-selective for the cultivar Fecula branca. Differences in tolerance were verified among the cultivars used in this experiment, with Fibra in general being more tolerant to the herbicides evaluated.

Residual activity of herbicides applied to the soil in relation to control of four Amaranthus Species

Herbicides applied at pre-emergence normally present residual activity in the soil, controlling the first weed germinations, and preventing initial weed competition. The aim of this study was to determine the period of residual activity provided by sufficient herbicide rates for 95% (C95) control of the species Amaranthus hybridus, A. lividus, A. spinosus and A. viridis, and to assess the recommended rates of these herbicides. The study was conducted under greenhouse conditions in soils of sandy clay loam texture (20% clay and 1.9 of organic matter, with rates of alachlor, diuron, oxyfluorfen, pendimethalin, prometryne, oxyfluorfen, S-metolachlor, trifluralin 450 and trifluralin 600 being applied at 30, 20, 10 and 0 days before weed sowing. Weed control was evaluated after herbicide permanence in soil for 0, 10, 20 and 30 days after application (DAA). The residual activity of alachlor and prometryne at a rate C95 was not sufficient for the efficient control (>80%) of the species for up to 30 DAA. For alachlor, the use of the recommended rate did not provide considerable increase in residual activity, except for A. viridis. The recommended rate of prometryn promoted efficient control of the species for up to 30 DAA, except for A. hybridus. The recommended rate of oxyfluorfen provided an efficient control of A. hybridus and A. spinosus up to 30 DAA. These species had not been effectively controlled by the rate C95. Trifluralin 450 promoted efficient residual control for up to 30 DAA only compared with A. hybridus. Trifluralin 600 was effective in controlling A. hybridus and A. viridis up to 30 DAA and 29 and 28 DAA for A. lividus and A. spinosus, respectively. Clomazone did not promote efficient control of the species for 30 DAA, except for A. viridis. Diuron, pendimethalin and S-metolachlor were effective in controlling the species for up to 30 DAA, at both rates, showing consistent residual activity for the soil studied.

MATOINTERFERÊNCIA NO ALGODOEIRO EM FUNCÃO DE ESPAÇAMENTO REDUZIDO NA “SEGUNDA SAFRA”

Changes in row spacing may result in changes in crop and weed behavior and crop-weed competition. A study was performed to determine the periods of weed presence and weed control in cotton sown with 0.76 m spacing between planting rows. Cotton cultivar FM 993 was sown on 01/08/2010 with the aim of reaching a density of 190,000 seeds ha. Treatments with either weed presence or weed control during the first 0, 5, 10, 15, 22, 29, 36, 43, 50, 57, 64, 71, and 190 days of cultivation were established to determine the period prior to weed interference (PPI), total period of interference prevention (TPIP) and critical period of weed control (CPWC). The weed species with high relative importance were Amaranthus retroflexus, Bidens pilosa, Eleusine indica, Digitaria horizontalis, Alternanthera tenella, and Commelina benghalensis. Considering a maximum yield loss of 5%, the PPI was established 11 days after cotton emergence (DAE), the TPWC at 46 DAE, and the CPWC between 11 and 46 DAE, for a total duration of 35 days. Considering a maximum acceptable yield loss equal to the standard deviation for the weed-free treatment, the PPI was established at 6 DAE, the TPWC at 55 DAE, and the CPWC between 6 and 55 DAE for a total duration of 49 days.