Effects of soil solarization on purple nutsedge development and its reflexes on lettuce and arugula cultivation

• Grant number: 20/16122-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2021
• End date: August 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy
• Principal Investigator: Pedro Luis da Costa Aguiar Alves
• Grantee: Gabriela Tomazia Solimani Borges
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Weeds cause major problems in the production of vegetables, such as competition for nutrients, water, light, and even space. Currently, producers spend a lot on herbicides and this makes production more expensive. Soil solarization can be an alternative to eliminate weeds by increasing the temperature and increasing CO2 and this option is more accessible and more ecological since it does not harm the environment. There are few scientific studies regarding soil solarization and its effects on vegetables. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of soil solarization in the control of weeds in the pre-planting of lettuce and arugula. For this, two experiments will be carried out, and the procedures will be the same for both. The experiments will consist of making a visual and informal survey of the weed species present in the area and the seed bank, followed by soil preparation, preparation of 28 beds in which the treatments will be located, which will constitute the cover with transparent plastic at 75, 60, 45, 30 and 15 days prior to the planting of lettuce and arugula seedlings, with one witness discovered, in the "clean", and another without weed control. The experimental design will be a randomized block, with seven treatments in four repetitions. During the period in which the beds will be covered, the temperature will be measured daily at 9 am and 3 pm. When harvesting hardwoods, existing plants in a central area will be removed in order to study productive characteristics. Weeds will also be evaluated, determining the relative density, frequency, and dominance of each species when a final analysis of the seed bank will also be made. The results will be submitted to analysis of variance (F test) with the averages being compared by the Tukey test at 5% probability using the Stat version 2.0 program. If justified, the data will be submitted to regression analysis, using the Origin 8.0 program. (AU)