Development and obtaining indicators for the sugarcane plant control process

Author(s)

Clara Degli Esposti

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Jaboticabal. 2020-02-26.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias. Jaboticabal
• Defense date: 2019-12-06
• Advisor: Pedro Luis da Costa Aguiar Alves

Abstract

In order to limit the coexistence between weeds and sugarcane, control methods, especially herbicides, are used. However, there must be a balance between weed control level and intensity of herbicide use and this is a managerial function of the process. In this management, the first step is to obtain numerical indicators of this process, to then compare units, obtain benchmarks, correlate the different mills with investment and productivity levels of sugarcane plantations, set goals as well as monitor temporal evolution. The indicators, should be obtained through periodic diagnoses of the crop. In order for these indicators to be used to compare different plants, the method must be standardized. Thus, this research had the objective of proposing a methodology to get weed infestation in the epoch before the beginning of the harvest in sugar and alcohol plants, to define a balanced sampling according to the geographic distribution of sugarcane, proportion of the different production environments, age distribution of sugar cane, among other factors. In these indicators the visual coverage is considered the frequency and the agronomic importance of the different species or group of species. Through the indicators obtained by the proposed method, it was possible to numerically characterize the weed process and the degree of infestation at the beginning of the harvest for different categories of cane fields, in addition to comparing different units. Thus, it was possible to identify which weeds participate more in the weed community and in the formation of the rate of infestation (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/24553-0 - Development and validation of indicators for the weed control process in sugarcane plantations
• Grantee: Clara Degli Esposti
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master