COMPETITIVE RELATIVE ABILITY OF BARLEY CULTIVARS IN INTERACTION WITH TURNIP

Abstract

ABSTRACT Among the weeds that cause interference with the growth and development of barley the turnip stands out, especially by the high competitive ability for the resources available in the environment. The research objective with the study was to evaluate the competitive ability of barley cultivars to live with a turnip biotype. Experiments were installed in a greenhouse, in the experimental outlining of randomized blocks designed with four repetitions. The treatments were arranged in replacement series, consisting of proportions of barley plants and turnip: 100: 0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0: 100% which was equivalent to 20: 0, 15: 5, 10:10, 5:15 and 0:20 plants per pot. The barley was represented by BRS Cauê, BRS Elis and MN 610 and the competitor by turnip. The competitive analysis was made through diagrams applied in replacement experiments, among with use of relative competitiveness indices. The leaf area (AF) and the dry mass of the aerial part (MS) were evaluated at 50 days after the emergence of the species. The results show that there was competition between barley varieties with the turnip with mutual damage to the species involved in the community. Turnip negatively modified the AF and the MS of BRS Cauê, MN 610 and BRS Elis demonstrating higher competitive ability for the means of the resources. The interspecific competition causes greater damage to the AF and the MS species than the intraspecific competition. Thus, the turnip control is recommended the turnip control even when present at low densities of plants infesting the barley.