To have a good production, attention and diligence are necessary throughout the entire harvest. If you neglect any step of the process, it can lead to many problems. One of them is management, speaking more specifically of infestations by weeds, such as crow's foot grass (Eleusine indica), which is very complex as it presents biotypes with multiple resistance to herbicides. With the aim of helping rural producers in this situation, the researcher from the Mato Grosso Agricultural Research Support Foundation, MT Foundation, PhD in Phytotechnics, Lucas Heringer Barcellos Júnior, advises on the main points that deserve care.
Although there are many weed species, crow's foot grass is one of the most problematic. With incidence throughout the country, this plant has caused a lot of headaches for producers, especially those in Mato Grosso. In soybeans, for example, their first appearances appear in September, even before planting, and continue throughout the harvest. “From now on, whoever did not control the plant will lose productivity. It will be very difficult to manage resistant crow's foot post-emergence in soybeans. We have reports in the literature that losses in these cases can reach 80%, and if nothing is done, the harvest will be unfeasible”, points out the researcher.
Crow's foot grass causes direct and indirect damage to the producer. Directly, through the competition generated between weeds and crops for water, light and nutrients, consequently causing a decrease in the nutrition of the main crop. Indirect damage can occur due to these plants becoming hosts mainly for pests and diseases, which sometimes remain there and end up later migrating to the crop.
Considering the relevance of managing the weed, the MT Foundation researcher reports the main points of care that must be taken into consideration. The first happens at the beginning of the infestation, before planting the soybeans, it is recommended to carry out a good desiccation with specific products for this purpose.
The second point is to manage weeds with herbicides at specific times indicated by professionals in the sector. “This is a very important point, sometimes the product works well, but it is applied at the wrong time. You have to understand the correct stages of the weed plants, it is important to apply the herbicide when they are younger, so the pre-emergent does not allow new seeds to emerge”, explains Lucas Barcellos.
To talk about this subject and present experiments with crow's foot grass, the institution will hold, tomorrow, December 3rd, in Primavera do Leste-MT, starting at 7:30am, at the Learning and Diffusion Center (CAD ) Primavera, the MT Foundation in the Knowledge Circuit field. On the occasion, two experiments will be demonstrated to the guests with management in the soy-corn production system and management in the soy-cotton production system with the weed.
“In this opportunity we will demonstrate the results of two years of research with different management proposals from different companies, with a debate at the end of the field visit. Another important point is an experiment that we have been following since the 20-21 harvest, two years of management strategies. We have a lot of important information to share”, concludes the MT Foundation researcher.
The basic management of crow's foot grass over the years has been the same: dry it and plant it and use post-emergent herbicides. What must be changed, according to Dr. Lucas Barcellos, are the management strategies, positioning of herbicides and correct timing of application. “In areas with resistant crow's foot, producers must desiccate in advance of soybean sowing and introduce pre-emergent herbicides into the system, enabling rotation of the mechanism of action. This changes the scenario,” he points out.
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