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Weed seedbank and its correlation with the established flora in no-burn sugarcane area

To set suitable weed management programs, one the most important parameters is knowing the specific composition of the seedbank and its correlation with the established flora. Such information is fundamental to guide the control strategy to be adopted and the herbicide choices. Mechanical harvest of no-burn sugar-cane maintaining a layer of straw on the soil surface promoted important changes in weed seed germination and seedling survival. Lack of soil mobilization and the lack of sugarcane burning are two additional factors influencing weed flora composition and population densities. Field sampling was conducted in twenty-eight no-burn sugarcane areas to evaluate (i) seedbank composition and seed population densities and later (ii) weed community composition and population density. A predominance of broad-leaf weeds was foud in the seed bank mainly Amaranthus spp., as well as species of the families Euphorbiaceae and Convulvulaceae. The traditional gramineous seeds were not profuse in the seedbanks of the studied areas. The correlation between the seedbank and the weed community compositions was small, regardless of the harvesting time, seedbank quantification methodology and weed species.

mulching; phytosociology; Saccharum officinarum; Spearman Rank correlation; similarity coefficient


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