P.S.L. Silva

Growth and yield of corn grain and green ear in competition with weeds

Studies on plant growth are interesting because they provide explanations for the factors that influence yield in various crops. The objective of this work was to evaluate growth and yield in corn cultivar AG1051, when in competition with weeds. Cultivar AG 1051 was submitted to two groups of treatments: weed control, and sampling periods for dry biomass evaluation. The weed control treatments consisted of hoeing (two hoeings performed at 20 and 40 days after sowing) and no hoeing. Sampling periods consisted of collecting the above-ground part and roots of corn every fifteen days, until 105 days after sowing (DAS); the first sampling was performed 30 DAS. A completely randomized block design with ten replicates was used. For the characteristics evaluated in a single season, statistical analyses were carried out as a random block experiment. For the characteristics evaluated in several periods, statistical analyses were carried out as random blocks with split-plots (weed control assigned to plots). Fourteen weed species, unevenly distributed throughout the experimental area, were the most important. The growth observed for the above-ground part and root system of corn was 30% smaller in the non-hoed plots, compared to the hoed plots. Lack of weed control increased dry matter of the above-ground part of the weeds and reduced the number of unhusked and husked marketable green ears by 23% and 49%, respectively. Grain yield reduction caused by lack of weed control reached 38%.

Planting density of gliricidia when intercropped with corn for weed control

A reducao do uso de herbicidas, em razao dos problemas de poluicao ambiental, e de grande interesse da agricultura moderna. A cobertura do solo com ramos de gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) nao tem efeito alelopatico no milho, mas diminui a populacao de plantas daninhas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da densidade de plantio da gliricidia, em consorciacao, sobre o controle de plantas daninhas e sobre os rendimentos do milho. Utilizou-se o delineamento de blocos casualizados com parcelas subdivididas e dez repeticoes. Os cultivares de milho AG 1051 e BM 3061 foram cultivados sem capinas, com duas capinas (aos 24 e 44 dias apos o plantio) e consorciados com a gliricidia (plantada por ocasiao do plantio do milho, entre as fileiras da graminea, usando-se duas mudas/cova, distanciadas de 30, 40 ou 50 cm). Vinte e uma especies de plantas daninhas ocorreram na area experimental. O aumento da densidade de plantio da gliricidia reduziu a biomassa das plantas daninhas, porem nao houve diferenca entre biomassa de plantas daninhas dos consorcios e biomassa de plantas daninhas do milho nao capinado. Na maioria das caracteristicas avaliadoras do rendimento de milho-verde, a consorciacao com a gliricidia, plantada no espacamento de 30 cm, nao diferiu significativamente do milho capinado, embora as medias tenham sido menores. No numero e peso de espigas verdes comercializaveis, as reducoes com essa consorciacao foram de 5% e 13%, respectivamente. No rendimento de graos, a consorciacao referida causou reducao de 17%, diminuindo em mais da metade as perdas (36%) observadas no milho nao capinado. Os maiores rendimentos de espigas verdes e de graos foram obtidos com duas capinas, e os menores, quando o milho nao foi capinado. Os cultivares nao diferiram quanto ao rendimento de espigas verdes e de graos.

Crescimento e Rendimentos do Milho em Competição com Plantas Daninhas

Although labor is intensive, evaluating the growth of crops may allow a better understanding of crop performance, including the reasons why certain cultivars can compete better with weeds. This study aims at evaluating growth, green ear yield, and grain yield in corn when in competition with weeds. Cultivars AG 1051 and BRS 106 were grown with (two hoeings, at 20 and 40 days after sowing) or without weed control. In order to evaluate crop growth, six collections of the above-ground part and the root system of corn were performed, every 15 days, with the first collection made 30 days after sowing. A randomized complete block design was adopted, with split-split plots (weed control in plots, cultivars in subplots, and collections in sub-subplots) and ten replicates. Eighteen weed species were found in the experiment area. Increased values of corn leaf area, above-ground part and root system, due to plant age function, were smaller in non-hoed plots than in hoed plots and were dependent upon cultivar. The lack of weed control increased dry matter of weeds aboveground part and decreased green ear yield and grain yield. Cultivar AG 1051 had higher increases in leaf area, above-ground part of the plant and root system, due to plant age function, and controlled weeds better than cultivar BRS 106. In addition, cultivar AG 1051 was superior to other cultivars with respect to most traits used for green corn yield and grain yield assessment.

Floristic composition and growth of weeds under custard apple (Annona squamosa) progenies

As plantas daninhas (PD) afetam varias caracteristicas das fruteiras, inclusive o rendimento, e podem dificultar a execucao de tratos culturais nos pomares. Existe interesse em metodos alternativos de manejo das PD, visando reduzir o uso de herbicidas, que sao caros e causam degradacao ambiental. Dentre esses metodos, a adocao de cultivares com maior habilidade competitiva com as PD tem despertado atencao internacional. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a composicao floristica e o crescimento de PD sob a copa de progenies de pinheira irrigadas. Vinte progenies de meias-irmas, com idade aproximada de tres anos, foram avaliadas no delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com cinco repeticoes e quatro plantas por parcela. Ao redor do caule de cada planta estabeleceu-se um circulo com area de 0,5 m2. Nessa area, foram avaliadas a composicao e as massas das materias fresca e seca da parte aerea das PD. Avaliaram-se tambem os diâmetros do colo e da copa e a area da folha das progenies. Ocorreram 58 especies de PD. As familias com maior numero de especies, em ordem decrescente, foram Leguminosae, Convolvulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae e Sterculiaceae. O numero de especies de PD/parcela variou de 6 a 18, porem nao houve diferenca entre a porcentagem media de diferentes PD sob a copa das progenies. As menores massas de materias fresca e seca de PD ocorreram nas progenies JG1 e SM8, respectivamente. Nao houve diferencas entre progenies quanto a diâmetro do colo e area foliar, mas sob a copa da progenie FE4, que apresentou o maior diâmetro da copa, observou-se um dos menores rendimentos de materia seca de PD.

Weeds under the canopies of tree species submitted to different planting densities and intercropping

Assessing the growth and floristic composition of species that grow under the canopy of trees is important for weed control (WC). The objective of this study was to assess two experiments (E1 and E2), when the trees were two years and one year of age, respectively. In E1, sabia (S) and gliricidia (G) were submitted to planting densities from 400 to 1.200 plants ha-1. In E2, growing systems consisting of S, G, and neem (N) combinations were compared: SSS, GGG, NNN, GSG, NSN, SGS, NGN, SNS, and GNG (each letter represents a row of plants). A random block design was adopted, with three (E1) and four (E2) replicates. In E1, treatments were arranged as split-plots (species in plots). In E2, the degrees of freedom for treatments (8) were partitioned into growing systems (treatments that involved the same species) and between growing system groups (2). Twenty-one weed species were found in E1. Gliricidia attained greater plant height than sabia, but these species did not differ in canopy diameter, number of weed species per plot, and weed green and dry biomass of the shoot. Higher planting densities resulted in the reduction of all those traits. Twenty-six weed species were found in E2. Growing systems that included gliricidia showed canopies with greater diameters than growing systems that included neem. There were no differences between growing systems for number of weed species per plot and for weed green and dry biomass of the shoot.

Effects of weed "Reestablishment" after hoeing on corn yields

Some growers and researchers sustain the idea that regrowth or root setting of some weeds may occur after hoeing, with detrimental effects over corn. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of weed removal from the field, removal after each hoeing, and corn intercropped with gliricidia on weed control and corn yield values. The experimental design consisted of blocks with split-plots and six replicates. Cultivars AG 1051 and BM 2022, planted in the plots, were submitted to the following treatments: no hoeing, two hoeings (at 20 and 40 days after planting), and intercropped with gliricidia. The hoed plots were either submitted to weed removal after the first, second, or both hoeings, or remained without weed removal. In the intercropped treatment, gliricidia was sown by broadcasting at corn planting between the corn rows, at a density of 15 seeds m-2. Twenty-five weed species occurred in the experiment; the most frequent was Digitaria sanguinalis (family Poaceae). The weed control methods tested had similar effects on the cultivars, which were not different from one another with respect to the evaluated traits, except for one-hundred-kernel weight, with cultivar AG 1051 being superior. Weed removal did not influence green corn yield or grain yield. However, the number of kernels/ear was higher in plots where weeds were removed in relation to plots without weed removal, suggesting that weed removal might be beneficial to corn. Besides, a higher dry matter weight was obtained for the above-ground part of weeds removed from the field after the first and second hoeings than the weight of weeds removed after the second hoeing only which, in turn, was higher than the weight of weeds removed after the first hoeing only. Green ear yield, grain yield, and dry matter of the above-ground part of the weeds did not show differences in hoed plots and were superior to the non-weeded plots and the intercropped plots, which were not different from each other; therefore, intercropping with gliricidia did not improve corn yield values.

Weed control in corn and weed sample size for growth evaluations

The objectives of this study were to evaluate baby corn yield, green corn yield, and grain yield in corn cultivar BM 3061, with weed control achieved via a combination of hoeing and intercropping with gliricidia, and determine how sample size influences weed growth evaluation accuracy. A randomized block design with ten replicates was used. The cultivar was submitted to the following treatments: A = hoeings at 20 and 40 days after corn sowing (DACS), B = hoeing at 20 DACS + gliricidia sowing after hoeing, C = gliricidia sowing together with corn sowing + hoeing at 40 DACS, D = gliricidia sowing together with corn sowing, and E = no hoeing. Gliricidia was sown at a density of 30 viable seeds m-2. After harvesting the mature ears, the area of each plot was divided into eight sampling units measuring 1.2 m2 each to evaluate weed growth (above-ground dry biomass). Treatment A provided the highest baby corn, green corn, and grain yields. Treatment B did not differ from treatment A with respect to the yield values for the three products, and was equivalent to treatment C for green corn yield, but was superior to C with regard to baby corn weight and grain yield. Treatments D and E provided similar yields and were inferior to the other treatments. Therefore, treatment B is a promising one. The relation between coefficient of experimental variation (CV) and sample size (S) to evaluate growth of the above-ground part of the weeds was given by the equation CV = 37.57 S-0.15, i.e., CV decreased as S increased. The optimal sample size indicated by this equation was 4.3 m2.

Mimosa caesalpiniifolia intercropping, weeds removal and nitrogen fertilization on maize

Weeding is expensive and laborious, and some weeds may re-establish themselves afterwards. Arboreal leguminous plants can control weeds, and fertilization with nitrogen can increases the competitive ability of the maize. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of weed-removal and intercropping with sabia (Mimosa caesalpiniifolia) on control of weed plants and maize productivity. A randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement was used with five replications. Cultivar AG 105, fertilized with nitrogen (30 and 120 kg/ha of N applied to the plots) was subjected to the following treatments (subplots): A) no weeding; B) intercropping with sabia (30 viable seeds/m2, broadcast between the rows of maize); C) hoeing {20 and 40 days after sowing (DAS)} with no removal of weeds (nROW); D) two hoeings at 20 and 40 DAS with ROW at 20 DAS; E) two hoeings at 20 and 40 DAS with ROW at 40 DAS; F) and two hoeings at 20 and 40 DAS with ROW after each hoeing. Increasing the dose of nitrogen reduced the growth of the sabia (30%) and weeds (32%) and increased the corn green ear yield (115%) and grain yield (40%) of maize. Sabia did not reduce the growth of weeds, but it was beneficial to corn because increased the number of green ears. Carrying out two hoeings, with or without the removal of weeds, reduced weed growth (92%) and provided the highest yields of green ears (5.6 t/ha) and grains (6.0 t/ha).

INTERCROPPING CORN WITH A COMBINATION OF TREE SPECIES TO CONTROL WEEDS

The combination of crop residues or crop extracts is often more advantageous in controlling weeds, than the application of each residue or extract singly. This suggests that in intercropping with maize, the combination of tree species can be more advantageous than species isolated in weed control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of intercropping with a combination of leguminous on the weed growth and corn yield. A randomized-block design with split plots (cultivars in plots) and five replicates was established. The cultivars BR 205 and AG 1041 were subject to the following treatments: two weedings (A), intercropping with sabia (B), gliricidia (C), gliricidia + sabia (D) and no weeding (E). In the B and C, 30 viable seeds m-2 of the leguminous were sown. In the D, 15 seeds of each species were sown m-2. The legumes were sown by random casting during corn planting. The sequence of the best treatments in reducing the growth of weeds is A > B = C = D = E. The sequence of the best treatments when are considered the yields of baby corn, green corn and grain is A > B > C > D > E. The cultivars do not differ in regards to the reduction in weed growth. In terms of corn yield cultivar BR 205 is the best.

Weed Control in Maize with Gliricidia Intercropping

One of the very important components in the organic maize production costs refers to spending on weed control. In this research were assessed the effects of maize hybrids (AG 1051 and BR 205) in an intercropping with Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) and mechanical hoeing on weed control. The treatments assessed were: A - maize monocropping + two hoeings (20 and 40 days after sowing); B - maize with one hoeing at 20 days + intercropping with gliricidia sowed after hoeing; C - maize sowing intercropped with gliricidia at the time of maize sowing + hoeing at 40 days; D - maize sowing intercropped with gliricidia at the time of maize sowing without hoeing; E - monocropping maize without hoeing. In the intercroppings, gliricidia was sowed in broadcast seeding with 30 viable seeds m-2. Maize hybrids did not differ in their effects on weed growth and grain yield. Treatments A, B and C have reduced weed growth, compared to treatments D and E. The highest grain yield was obtained with treatment A and the lowest with treatment E. It was concluded that intercropping maize and gliricidia is not a good alternative for an integrated weed management in maize crops in the conditions assessed.