Mombaça grass is capable of reducing the presence of spontaneous plants

The strategic use of mombaça grass as a soil cover is capable of controlling spontaneous species in Agroforestry Systems (SAFs). A study carried out at the Embrapa Meio Ambiente Agroecological Site, in Jaguariúna (SP), revealed that the use of this technique was significantly demonstrated by the diversity of species, the number of plants and the fresh mass of these undesirable plants compared to areas of soil discoveries.

When comparing two different amounts of biomass mowed in a 5-meter space between a SAF and applied in plots along the line of fruit trees, the scientists observed that the biomass corresponding to 50% of the total amount generated, although they have a control efficiency lower than amount of total biomass, this difference was not statistically significant in the evaluated parameters.

According to Embrapa Environment analyst Waldemore Moriconi, “the results indicate that when the objective of controlling weeds in SAF lines with 5 meter wide gaps, farmers can adopt the practice of using 50% of the biomass produced in the between the rows, keeping the other 50% between the rows, also benefiting the regrowth of mombaça grass and saving 50% of the labor required for management operations such as the transport and distribution of biomass, or even using the mowed grass to feed animals, for example,” he explains.

For Laleska Rabelo from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), the study highlights the importance of this strategy given the challenges faced by farmers who adopt SAFs, especially with regard to the cost of management operations, with a workforce for control of spontaneous species is a more costly operation. 

In another study carried out by the Embrapa Environment team, data collected over a year in a SAF showed that the weeding operation consumed 66% of the total time spent on operations carried out by a family farmer. Research carried out on intercropped vegetable crops between the rows of SAFs in flowerbeds using crushed waste from urban afforestation reduced 75% of the labor time required to control spontaneous species, compared to beds without soil cover.

Embrapa Environment researcher Joel Leandro de Queiroga emphasizes that soil cover, traditionally recommended in agroecological systems, reveals additional benefits beyond the control of spontaneous species and the consequent reduction in labor. “There is also a reduction in excessive water losses through evaporation, retaining and conserving soil moisture, protecting the soil from erosive impacts caused by rain, among others. Furthermore, the practice contributes to enriching the soil with nutrients, improving crop performance”, highlights Queiroga.

The results of this research reinforce the prediction and effectiveness of soil coverage with mombaça grass as a strategy in the management of spontaneous species in SAFs, providing not only agronomic benefits, but also contributing to the optimization of farmers' time and their costs in management operations.

Also participating in the study, presented at the 12th Brazilian Congress of Agroecology, were Luiz Octávio Ramos Filho from Embrapa Meio Ambiente; Davi Rassi from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar); Ítalo Mira from the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Southern Minas (IFSulMinas); Maria Fernanda Silva from the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) and; Vitor Guarnieri from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp).