Cultivation Systems, Vegetable Soil Covers and their Influence on the Phytosocyology of Weeds

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Phytosociological studies are groups of methods that aim at the identification, composition and distribution of plant species in a community. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify the main weeds found in beans, maize and soybean cultivated in no-tillage and conventional systems. The experimental design was a randomized block one, with four replications. Experiments were conducted during three consecutive years, with summer crop (bean, maize and soybean) treatments, no-tillage system (NTS) composed by the covers, black oat, vetch and forage radish, in addition to their intercrop. In the conventional planting system (CTS), the area was left fallow in the off-season. The shoot dry matter of the covers was evaluated in each crop. The evaluated variables were: frequency, density, abundance, dry matter and the importance value index of the species in the area. Eighteen species of weeds and 12 families were identified, with Asteraceae and Poaceae families showing the highest number of individuals. The shoot dry matter production presented a difference among the covers; the cover black oat alone and intercrop with radish and vetch stood out, with the highest averages in the 3 years of the experiments. Cropping systems and different cover crops within the no-tillage system interfered in the number of encontered species. The emergence of Euphorbia heterophylla was favored, while the emergence of Lolium multiflorum was inhibited. E. heterophylla was the most encountered in the NTS areas, and its germination was negatively influenced by soil mobilization. The intercrop of black oat and vetch provided maximum weed control in soybean.