Weed germination and growth in soil covered with maize straw

Abstract

Background: The presence of straw on the soil contributes to the management of weeds in several production systems and this understanding needs to be extended to annual crops under no-tillage systems. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of covering the soil with 5 Mg ha-1 of maize straw on the germination and growth of Digitaria insularis, Conyza spp., Bidens pilosa, Amaranthus hybridus, Euphorbia heterophylla, and Eleusine indica. Methods: For this purpose, completely randomized design was used with sixteen and third two replicates. Four assays were conducted between the years 2019 and 2020 in a greenhouse. The number of emerged seedlings was evaluated at 7, 14, and 21 days after sowing (DAS) and the shoot dry weight of the seedlings and the correlation between these variables were evaluated at 21 DAS. Results: The covering of the soil with straw decreased the weed infestation of all species, except E. heterophylla, which presented positive correlation for the variables evaluated, denoting that the straw had no effect on the germination and growth of this species. The variables evaluated showed no correlation for the other species, denoting that the soil cover with straw suppress the germination and growth of plants. Conclusions: We conclude that soil cover with 5 Mg ha-1 of maize straw is a tool for the control of weeds of the species evaluated, except E. heterophylla, and an option for integrated weed managements that can complement the residual effect of herbicides.