Competition of sicklepod, cassia obtusifolia l., densities on soybean, glycine max (l.) merr., at variable row distance

Competition studies with soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr. "Bragg." and sicklepod, Cassia obtusifolia L., were conducted at the Agricultural Research and Education Center of the University of Florida in Quincy, Florida. Two field experiments were established, one on May 22, 1975. and the other four weeks later, on June 19, 1975, to determine the competitive effects of various sicklepod densities and the influences of soybean row distances on weed dry matter, soybear plant characteristics, yield components and seed yield, and on soil nutrient content. Control, low, medium, and high sicklepod densities in the first experiment were O, 25,000, 53,000, and 77,000 p1ants/ha, respectively; while the second experiment presented control, low, medium, and high sicklepod densities of O, 36,000, 68,000, and 122,000 plants/ha, respectively. Three soybean row distance treatments were tested using a constant pattern of 90-, 60-, and 45-cm widths throughout the growing season. Three other treatments, evaluated in a variable patern, were initially seeded in 30-cm row widths. Five weeks after planting, an appropriate number of soybean rows were harvested from the 30"cm pattern to establish row distances of 90, 60, and 30-60 cm for the remainder of the season. ln the greenhouse a test was conducted to evaluate the effects af those variables on seed germination and seedling vigor for the next soybean generation. As a result of full-season sicklepod competition, soybean plants were less branched, set fewer leaves, and presented thinner stems as compared to the control. However, height of soybean plants was not affected by the presence of sicklepod. ln one of the two experiments, number of nodes decreased for soybeans under weed campetition. The yield components--number of pods; number of seeds, and seed yield per soybean plant--were all similarly reduced due to weed competition. Seeds per pod were decreased to a lesser extent. Soybean seed yields per unit area were significantly diminished by increasing levels af sicklepod ínfestation. While the control produced 3120 kg/ha, the sicklepod densities of 25,000, 53,000, and 77,000 plants/ha reduced seed yíelds 47, 65, and 73%, respectively. As soybean row distances decreased, number of branches, number of leaves, and stem diameter of soybeans decreased. However, the height of soybean plants increased with narrwing of row width. The components of seed yield--number of pods, number of seeds, and seed yield per soybean plant--diminished as row spacing was reduced. Maximum difference between row distances for these attributes was attained for soybean plants under weed-free conditions. Generally, as row width decreased, soybean seed yield per unit area increased. Specifically, soybear.s in 90-cm rows, either in constant or variable row pattern, yielded less than soybeans in 60- and 30-60-cm rows in the variable pattern. Soil contents of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were not affected by the various levels of sicklepod and soybean populalions. Neither the sicklepod densities nor the soybean row distances influenced seed germination and seedling vigor in the next soybean generation. Sicklepod was a strong competitor with soybeans at all density ranges investigated. Because sicklepod grows taller than soybeans during the reproductive stages of the crop, limited success can be reached by varying row spacing alone. However, this practice is considered an integral measure to complement other methods of sicklepod control. Compared to constant rows, the soybean cropping system using variable row spacings presents the choice of planting soybeans at close row spacings to provide early competition with weeds and the possibility of obtaining a forage crop after the first month of growth, without any decreases on the final seed yields.

Desempenho animal em sistema silvipastoril com acácia-negra (Acacia mearnsii De Wild.) e rendimento de matéria seca de cultivares de Panicum maximum Jacq. sob dois regimes de luz solar

Esse estudo foi compreendido por dois experimentos de campo, no período de outubro/2003 a abril/2004, na Fundação Estadual de Pesquisa Agropecuária (FEPAGRO), localizado em Tupanciretã, no Planalto Médio, região ecoclimática do RS. O principal objetivo do primeiro experimento foi avaliar o desempenho de novilhas de corte e a dinâmica de três pastos constituídos por Panicum maximum cvs. Gatton e Aruana e por Digitaria diversinervis em um sistema silvipastoril (SSP), associadas com acácia-negra (Acacia mearnsii De Wild.) sob duas densidades arbóreas (833 e 500 árvores/ha). Os resultados mostraram que não houve efeito da densidade arbórea com relação à dinâmica dos pastos e no desempenho animal. As cvs. de P. maximum apresentaram maiores resultados de massa de forragem residual do que a D. diversinervis. A taxa de acúmulo diário de MS, forragem total, oferta de forragem real e relação folha/colmo não diferiram entre as espécies. A cv. Gatton obteve maior resultado de forragem disponível quando comparado com a D. diversinervis. O ganho médio diário, ganho por área, animais.dia/ha, lotação animal e carga animal média também não diferiram com relação as forrageiras. O objetivo do segundo experimento foi avaliar o rendimento de matéria seca total de cinco cultivares de Panicum maximum, crescendo dentro e fora de um bosque de Eucalyptus sp. de 17 anos de idade, estabelecido na densidade de 1111 árvores/ha. A produção media de MS e a taxa de crescimento diário foram significativamente menores (P≤0.05) na condição de sombra (5.529 kg/ha) do que em pleno sol (22.346 kg/ha). Na condição de sombra, os resultados das cvs. não diferiram, enquanto que os resultados em pleno sol apresentaram diferenças significativas (P≤0,01), onde a cv. Tanzânia apresentou menores resultados no rendimento de matéria seca e taxa de crescimento e a cv. Mombaça os maiores resultados Pode-se concluir que as cvs. Mombaça, Tobiatã, Gatton e Vencedor são boas promissoras para o uso em SSP. Esse estudo indicou claramente altos níveis de desempenho animal sob pastejo em SSP com algumas cvs. de P. maximum selecionadas ou D. diversinervis usando Acacia-Negra no Sul do Brasil.