F.P. Lamego

Relative competitiveness of soybean cultivars with barnyardgrass

The aim of this work was to evaluate the competitiveness between soybean cultivars and barnyardgrass, based on morphological and physiological characteristics of species. The experiments were conducted in completely randomized experimental design, with 4 replications. In the first study, for both soybean and barnyardgrass, it was determined the population of plants in which shoot dry matter became constant and independent of the population (16 plants∙pot−1 or 400 plants∙m−2). In the second study, 2 experiments were conducted to evaluate the competitiveness of BMX Apolo RR and BMX Potencia RR soybean cultivars with barnyardgrass plants, both carried out in replacement series under different proportions of plants∙pot−1 (100:0; 75:25; 50:50; 25:75 and 0:100) between the crop and the weed. The analysis of the species competitiveness was determined through diagrams applied to replacement series experiments and use of relative competitiveness indexes. At 44 days after the emergence of species, the physiological and morphological parameters of the crop and the weed were evaluated. The BMX Apolo RR and BMX Potencia RR soybean cultivars show similar competitiveness when competing with the barnyardgrass; therefore, the ability of one species to interfere on another is equivalent. For plant height, barnyardgrass displays higher competitiveness compared to BMX Apolo RR, with early cycle and short height. The intraspecific competition is more important to barnyardgrass than interspecific competition with soybean cultivars, resulting in negative effects on the morphological and physiological characteristics of species.

GERMINAÇÃO DE SEMENTES DE CAPIM-ARROZ SUBMETIDAS A CONDIÇÕES DE LUZ E TEMPERATURA

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of temperature and light on germination of barnyardgrass in different periods of seed storage after dispersal. The research was divided into two studies: in the first it was evaluated the effect of three temperatures (15, 25 and 35 °C) and two light conditions (presence and absence), on germination percentage, hypocotyl length and radicle length; and, in the second, it was evaluated the effect of three temperatures (15, 25 and 35 oC) on the germination speed index and germination speed. The seeds were collected in the field shortly after the start of natural seed dispersal. The studies were performed at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, 330 and 360 days after seed harvest. At 30 days after seed harvest, there was no germination regardless of light conditions and temperature. At 60 days after seed harvest, the seeds germinated both in the presence and absence of light. The absence of light increased hypocotyl length, regardless of temperature. Under 15 oC temperature condition and absence of light, the seeds showed higher radicle length. The increase in temperature caused an increase on the germination speed index and germination speed of the seeds. The knowledge of factors that affect barnyardgrass germination contribute to develop crop management practices of this important weed that interferes in some crops, including the soybean grown in rotation with rice paddy.

Growth, phenology, and seed viability between glyphosate-resistant and glyphosate-susceptible hary fleabane

Glyphosate is the herbicide most used worldwide. In cropping systems that rely on repeated applications of glyphosate or cultivate genetically modified soyabean crop, there are numerous cases of glyphosate resistant weeds, including Conyza bonariensis. Differences among competitive ability of Conyza spp. have been found. However, little information is available on the fitness costs related to glyphosate resistance in Conyza bonariensis. We evaluated growth, phenology, and seed viability of glyphosate-resistant (GR) and glyphosate-susceptible (GS) Conyza bonariensis from Brazil, in 2012 (fall/winter) and 2013 (spring/summer). When grown alone, in pots, C. bonariensis GR biotype developed more rapidly than the GS biotype, as evidenced by their earlier bolting, flowering, and seed set. In 2012, GR biotype showed 221.9 cm of plant height compared to 181.1 cm from GS, at the flowering time. In both years, the seed production per plant was superior for GR biotype, showing germination higher than 80% against 66.5% from the GS biotype. Thus, C. bonariensis GR biotype confirmed no fitness penalty also showing characteristics that allow us to infer in superior competitive with the absence of the herbicide. It is important to point out that the biotypes evaluated here have different genetic background and the differences between them may not be fully attributed to the resistance to glyphosate. However, the GR biotype can persist in the environment and outcompete with GS biotypes regardless of further glyphosate selection of pressure.