Cover crop management and straw maintenance over the soil are common concerns for producers adopting the no tillage system in the cerrado region in Brazil. In order to study the influence of B. decumbens time management on soybean development and productivity under no tillage system, two assays were carried out using the cultivars BRS 154 and MG/BR 46-Conquista. For each cultivar, four B. decumbens management times prior to sowing of soybean (28, 14, 7 and 0 days) were tested using glyphosate for weed control, in three replicates for cultivar BRS 154 and four replications for MG/BR 46-Conquista, in a completely randomized design. B. decumbens dry weight and reinfestation were evaluated. Height of first pod insertion, number of pods per plant, grain moisture, weight of 100 seeds and productivity were evaluated in soybean crop. Based on the results obtained, it could be concluded that the most appropriate time for the management of B. decumbens with glyphosate is between 7 and 14 days before soybean sowing and that choice of time management of the cover crop has a decisive effect on the development and productivity of the crop.
cover crop; glyphosate; Glycine max; productivity
