Performance of the corn crop (Zea mays L.) submitted to application of post-emergence herbicides, in different management situations.

Author(s)

Marcelo Nicolai

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2005-01-19

Examining board members

Pedro Jacob Christoffoleti; Benedito Apparecido Braz; Ricardo Victoria Filho

• Advisor: Pedro Jacob Christoffoleti
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy
• Indexed in: Banco de Dados Bibliográficos da USP-DEDALUS; Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações - USP
• Location: Universidade de São Paulo. Biblioteca Central da Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz; t633.15; N636d

Abstract

The application of post-emergence herbicides at corn crop is intense, exposing the crop to countless management situations in coincidence with the using of these agrochemicals that can result in damaging interactions to the crop. Therefore, this research was developed, with the objective of evaluating the possibility of interaction between these herbicides with insecticides and nitrogen fertilizers, as well the herbicides efficacy on weeds control. There were installed experiments in field and green-house, at Crop Science Department annexes, ESALQ/USP. There were three experimentation modalities, where it was used the statistical design of randomized blocks with four replicates. The first experiment evaluated de interaction between the post-emergence herbicides, mesotrione, nicosulfuron and iodosulfuron + foramsulfuron, and the nitrogen sources, ammonium sulfate in covering and incorporated urea. After the results analysis, there were observed some phytotoxics symptoms caused by the herbicides. These symptoms evolved until the total disappearing, becoming imperceptible along the crop cycle, witch presented height at flowering similar to the check. The kernel yield and the weight of 1000 kernels did not presented productivity reduction. Each for urea or for ammonium sulfate, it was not detected symptoms of phytotoxic interactivity to the hybrid AGN 2012. The second experiment evaluated the interaction between the post-emergence herbicides, nicosulfuron and mesotrione in mixture with atrazine, and the insecticides clorpirifos, lambdacyhalotrin and thiamethoxan + lambdacyhalotrin, applied in tank mixture. It was observed synergistic phytotoxics injuries to the treatments involving the insecticide clorpirifos. Although, it was not observed height, yield or weight of 1000 kernels reductions. It indicates the capacity of the hybrid AGN 2012 in overcoming the phytotoxity, but it did not exempt the mixture of yield losses risk in other situations. The third experiment, tested the efficacy of the post-emergence herbicides mesotrione + atrazine, nicosulfuron + atrazine, nicosulfuron and iodosulfuron + foramsulfuron, on control of Brachiaria plantaginea, Digitaria horizontalis, Panicum maximum, Eleusine Indica, Ipomoea grandifolia and Bidens pilosa susceptible and resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. It was observed that the weeds are better controlled by herbicides at initial growth stage; the herbicides mixtures are more efficient, permitting to control plants in more developed growth stages; the weed Panicum maximum require upper herbicides rates or changings on control strategies; the corn may be an alternative crop to control Bidens pilosa resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides, if conduced as a succession crop in the production system, using herbicides with alternative action mechanisms. This research concluded that post-emergence herbicides applied on corn crop may have its selectivity reduced when simultaneously applied with insecticides or nitrogen fertilizers, although the phytotoxity caused by these synergistic interactions may not reduce the final productivity, as occurred at this work, in function of combinations of climatic and crop factors. The efficacy of these herbicides, studied for weeds at corn crop, depends on weeds phenologic stage, and the mixture of mesotrione + atrazine is an alternative to control B. pilosa resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. (AU)