Phytosociology and Behavior of Weeds in Maize as Influenced by Spatial Arrangements

Wanderson De Sousa Mendes,Cácio Luiz Boechat,Fabio Mielezrski,Leandro Otávio Vieira Filho,Nayana Alves Pereira

doi:10.5539/jas.v10n9p199

Wanderson De Sousa Mendes, Cácio Luiz Boechat + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v10n9p199

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Abstract

Using the right spatial arrangement is a sustainable way to prevent or at least delay the emergence of weeds in the crop production. This study evaluated the influence of row spacing and plant density of maize on weed control based on the phytosociological survey. It was conducted on an Oxisol textured medium in a 400 m2 area under semiarid conditions. The hybrid maize 30F53YH was managed under a no-till cropping system with three types of row spacing (0.35 m, 0.50 m, and 0.70 m) and three plant densities (5.0 plants m-2, 6.5 plants m-2, and 8.0 plants m-2). The experimental design was randomized complete blocks with four replications in a factorial arrangement 3 × 3. The phytosociological survey of the weeds was randomly performed four times in each subplot, using the inventory square (0.5 m × 0.5 m). The collected data were analyzed using the R statistical program. Among the specimen’s families identified on the field, three of them need to be highlighted due to its high values of density, frequency, and dominance. These families were Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Amaranthaceae. Also, it was identified that the Leucaena leucocephala species may be classified as a weed, as it acted as an invasive species on maize. The weed control was greatly influenced by the interaction of both parameters rather than only row spacing or the plant density factor. The results showed that the reduced spacing and high crop population decreased the presence of weeds in the maize crop.

Highlights

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an annual grass crop belonging to the Poaceae family and represents one of the most cultivated cereals, especially in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions
Just as weeds compete for water and nutrients, the main crop has its development affected resulting in yield losses. Farmers can use this competition in favour of maize when they sow at high plant density and reduce row spacing achieving yield gains, and performing a physical weed control
Barros et al (2017) described in their study the physiological response of maize and weeds living under different densities and their results further support the idea of reducing row spacing and increasing plant density on weed control

Summary

Introduction

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an annual grass crop belonging to the Poaceae family and represents one of the most cultivated cereals, especially in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. Increasing maize productivity depends directly on the technological level used in its cultivation, climate, fertilization and weed management (Barros, Faria, Tuffi Santos, Azevedo, & Governici, 2017). In the case of maize, for example, some weed species produce propagules that spread rapidly and compete with the main crop for space, water, light and nutrients (Barros et al, 2017; Mesquita, Andrade, & Pereira, 2016). Studies have shown the resistance of weed species to chemicals used in several crops over time (Brunharo, Christoffoleti, & Nicolai, 2014; Colbach, Darmency, Fernier, Granger, Le Corre, & Messéan, 2017)

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