The weed South African lovegrass (Eragrostis plana) is one of the most important problems of rangelands and native pastures in southern Brazil. Several factors have limited its management in these areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate South African lovegrass control using pre-emergent herbicides safe to the native pasture by applying soil position selectivity. Two experiments were evaluated in this study. The first was conducted in a greenhouse, and South African lovegrass seeds were sown in plastic pots. The herbicides evaluated were alachlor, ametryne, ametryne + tebuthiuron, atrazine, clomazone, diuron, flumioxazin, imazaquin, mesotrione, metribuzin, oxadiazon, S-metolachlor, sulfentrazone, terbuthylazine and trifluralin. All products successfully controlled lovegrass. The second experiment was conducted on native pastures highly infested with South African lovegrass, arranged in a split-split-plot design. In the main plots, the following vegetation management methods were allocated before herbicide application: prescribed burning, and high and low cutting; in the split-plots, the herbicide doses: 75 and 100% of the label rate; and in the split-split-plots, the herbicide doses: atrazine, flumioxazin, mesotrione, S-metolachlor, sulfentrazone, trifluralin and the untreated-check control. None of the herbicides tested effectively controlled lovegrass under field conditions, likely due to the high density of South African lovegrass perennial plants. However, the herbicide effects were more pronounced when associated with prescribed burning and low cutting.
Pampa biome; native pasture; prescribed burn; weeds
