Rottboellia exaltata (itchgrass) is one of the major weeds infesting sugarcane in the Norte-Fluminense area, reducing culture yield and increasing production costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of trifloxysulfuron-sodium in controlling R. exaltata. The experiment was installed in an area cultivated with the sugar cane cultivar RB 72454, on a randomized complete block design, with four replications. The herbicides were applied at post-emergence with a pressurized knapsack sprayer, operating at a constant pressure of 3.5 kgf cm², nozzle XR 8003 and 250 L ha¹. The following treatments were used: MSMA + diuron, trifloxysulfuron-sodium + ametryne, trifloxysulfuron-sodium, ametryne, diuron + paraquat,control with weeding and control without weeding. The herbicides MSMA + diuron, diuron + paraquat and trifloxysulfuron-sodium + ametryne provided excellent control of R. exaltata (over 90%) at the highest rate. The treatments providing the highest sugarcane yield were trifloxysulfuron-sodium + ametryne, MSMA + diuron and diuron + paraquat.
Trifloxysulfuron-sodium; itchgrass; Saccharum spp.; control
