Effect of sowing depth and soil cover on Paspalum virgatum L. seedling emergence

Abstract

Paspalum virgatum L. is a grass weed common in pasture and has difficult control, mainly due to its similarity to forage, is found in areas of degraded pastures in the state of Mato Grosso. The objective of this work was to evaluate seed germination and seedling emergence of razor-blade grass (P. virgatum L.) when exposed to different sowing depths. Two independent experiments were carried out, one using straw from Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu (Experiment I) and another from Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa (Experiment II). The treatments for both experiments were organized in a 7x2 factorial scheme, considering seven depth levels (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 cm). The bottom of the pots was sealed with filter paper and gauze. The emergence of seedlings was recorded daily until 28 days after sowing. The data obtained were submitted to analysis of variance. For experiment I, there was a significant effect on the soil cover factor in relation to %E and IVE, where the use of straw was more efficient. For experiment II, there was no effect of the soil cover factor in relation to %E and IVE. The greater the depth, the lower the emergence of razor-blade grass seedlings.