Glyphosate associated with other herbicides for control of Commelina benghalensis and Spermacoce latifolia

Abstract

The widespread cultivation of Roundup Ready soybeans enabled the use of glyphosate for post-emergence weed control in, turning weed handling into an easier and less costly operation. Despite such improvements, controlling glyphosate tolerant species can still be improved by associations with other herbicides. The aimed at evaluating the effect of the association of different herbicides with glyphosate in relation to Commelina benghalensis and Spermacoce latifolia control, after spraying plants in two different growth stages (1-3 and 4-6 leaves). For that, four experiments were carried out under greenhouse conditions, where glyphosate was applies at rates of 480 and 960 g a.e. ha -1 , isolated or combined in tank mixtures with cloransulam-methyl (30,24 g ha -1 ), chlorimuron-ethyl (12,5 g ha -1 ), imazethapyr (80 g ha -1 ), fomesafen (62,5 g ha -1 ), lactofen (72 g ha -1 ), flumiclorac-pentyl (30 g ha -1 ) and bentazon (480 g ha -1 ), besides a no-herbicide check. We evaluated the percentage of control at 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after application (DAA) and shoot dry mass (35 DAA). For C. benghalensis control, when herbicides were applied at 1-3 leaves stage, all treatments performed satisfactorily in weed control. For S. latifolia , the highest levels of weed control when applications were made at 4-6 leaves stage, when even glyphosate alone at lowest rate (480 g a.e. ha -1 ), provided excellent weed control. Overall, the use of tank mixtures improved weed control of both species when the rate of 480 g a.e. ha -1 of glyphosate was applied at earlier stages of weed development.