Urochloa plantaginea control with residual herbicides and agronomic performance of two bean cultivars

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the use of residual herbicides applied in the pre-emergence of beans, on reducing weed infestations, and the agronomic performance of the crop. Two field experiments were conducted, one had the cultivar UFT -06 (Carioca Group, short cycle and erect) and another, the IPR Graúna (Black Group, long cycle, prostrate habit). The treatments consisted of application of the herbicides pendimethalin (1.2 and 1.4 kg ha^-1) and trifluralin (1.2 and 1.4 kg ha^-1); and dimethenamid (1.4 and 1.6 kg ha^-1) and S-metolachlor (1.4 and 1.6 kg ha^-1), and weedy and weed-free checks for comparison. In the experimental areas, Urochloa plantaginea (Alexander grass) infestation predominated. It was evaluated the density and the biomass of this weed, and the number of pods and yield of the bean. Trifluralin was the herbicide that most reduced the infestation of the weeds and increased the yield of the bean, when compared to the other products. The UTF-06 bean cv. was more competitive with U. plantaginea than IPR Graúna. The treatments with herbicide reduced the infestation of weed, but this did not result in higher yields of bean, compared to the weed-free treatment.