Periods of weed interference in chicory cultivars development in indirect sowing system

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is an important broadleaves vegetable, consumed in salads and recognized by nutritional, pharmacological properties and its low calorie value. With the objective of assessing weeds interference periods over chicory crop in indirect sowing, two experiments were carried out at Garça County, São Paulo State, by using “Folhas Amarelas - Radiche” and “Folha Larga” cultivars and spacing of 0.25×0.25 m. Treatments consisted of checks with and without weeds and infestation control periods, so that crop was maintained in presence or absence of coexistence with weeds until 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after seedlings transplant (DAST). Results demonstrated that “Folhas amarelas - Radiche” and “Folha Larga” chicory cultivars transplanted on winter, allowed occurrence of initial period of cohabitation with weeds (6 and 5 IPCW) greater than final period (14 and 9 FPCW), conferring, respectively, the establishment of critical periods for weed control (CPWC) in intervals of 6th to 14th and 5th to 9th days after crop transplant. Medium reduction of yield in function of weeds interference during the whole crop cycle was about 52.0% and 54.4%, respectively, for “Folhas amarelas - Radiche” and “Folha Larga” cultivars. It is important to mention that these results indicated the real need for conducting early weed control in chicory crop cultivation, even when carried out in indirect sowing system, as well as it characterizes the importance of a greater number of regional information to successfully consolidate management alternatives, less costly and more efficient in order to guarantee superior yields.