EFFECT OF DIFFERENT MULCHES ON THE CONTROL OF UNWISHED PLANTS IN MAIZE CROP (Zea mays)

Abstract

Researches of many South American countries point the zero tillage system of crop production for little farmers as a responsible factor for best soil and water conservation, less costs of production and best profits to improve the rural way of life. The treatments usually include the application of herbicides. To find agricultural systems that allow zero tillage without herbicide or with reduced usage has been considered a challenge by the researchers. This experiment was carried out in order to evaluate the effects of different mulches on the control of unwished plants in maize crop (Zea mays). Plants such as sunhemp (Crotalaria juncea), millet (Pennisetum americanum) and sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) cv. Stanzuela and V 2000 were grown in 100 m² areas. The sowing was made at the second April fortnight and, after sixty days, the zero tillage system with maize was established by using a manual planting machine. Just after, the plants grown in the plots were manually cut and used as mulch. The soil fertility was corrected according to the laboratorial analyses and the plant population adopted was around 60,000 plants per hectare. No weed control was made. At the maize flowering, the seed weeds grown in the plots were collected by using two samples of 1 m² plot (two replications). The plant material was dried till constant weight. Statistical analyses obtained from the data indicated the millet mulch as the best treatment to the weed control.

KEY-WORDS: Mulches; uwished plants; maize crop.