WEED CONTROL IN GENETICALLY MODIFIED GLYPHOSATE-TOLERANT SOYBEAN

Abstract

The transgenic production systems, as well as conventional systems, require, in addition to chemical control, the adoption of other weed management strategies. This study was developed to evaluate the weed chemical control in glyphosate tolerant soybean, associated to cover crops cultivated in the autumn/winter. The experiment was carried out under field conditions at the FCAV/Unesp, Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, Brazil. A randomized split-plot block design was used, with four replications. St. Lucia Grass (Brachiaria brizantha ‘Marandu’), forage millet (Pennisetum americanum ‘BN2’), and a treatment with spontaneous growth vegetation were evaluated for plots, and, for subplots, the herbicides glyphosate, chlorimuron - ethyl plus lactofen, and fluazifop-p-butyl, in a sequential spraying, and two controls without any application. Grass cover contributed to the chemical control, suppressing weeds, and the single application of 720 g a.e. ha-1 of glyphosate, independently of the cover crop cultivated in the autumn/winter, was sufficient for adequately controlling Acanthospermum hispidum, Alternanthera tenella, Amaranthus sp., Bidens pilosa, Xanthium strumarium, Cenchrus echinatus, Digitaria sp., and Eleusine indica, with results similar to the treatment (chlorimuron-ethyl + lactofen) + fluazifop-p-buthyl. When compared to the weeded control, the herbicides did not affect plants height, dry matter of the aerial parts, mass of 100 grains, and grain yield. Soybean plants grown over St. Lucia Grass and forage millet presented a higher height, however, no other feature was influenced by the cover crop.

KEY-WORDS: Brachiaria brizantha; Pennisetum americanum; no-tillage; Roundup Ready; spontaneous vegetation.