Rope wick applicators were introduced and widely accepted in the U.S.A. since 1978 due to its simplicity, low operational cost and reduced amount of herbicide used. A first working built with material available in local market was assembled by the Department of Crop Protection of Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias - UNESP, Jaboticabal, Brazil, and preliminary results are reported in this paper. This model is mounted on two ordinary biclycle wheels , hand pulled, having 2 m wide boom with rope wicks. The experimental field was regular by covered with natural vegetation , average height of weeds about 55 cm, the majority of weeds in seed maturation state. Rope wick applicator was run at 2.7 km/h, consuming about 9.3 liters liquid per hectare. The dilution tested were 1:2, 1:4 and 1:6 (parts of commercial Roundup: parts of water ) and compared with conventional tractor boom sprayer applying 310 liters per hectare of solution containing 4 liters of commercial formulation, at the 4.2 km/h speed. Evaluations were carried out by assessing the top fresh weight of weeds at the application time and 15 and 33 days after. Score for weed control was attributed at 33 days after application. The results showed that the model of applicator tested has a good potentiality and it may be a valuable tool for the weed management.
rope-wick; herbicide; herbicide application