The experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of different amounts of sugar cane straw on the biomass of the subterranean structures of purple nutsedge deriving from small (0.22 to 0.34 g) and large (1.01 to 1.14 g) sized tubers, planted at different times of the year. Dormant purple nutsedge tubers of small and large sizes were planted in plastic pots with clay soil in May, July and September, and RB855156 sugar cane straw was added in quantities corresponding to 0.0, 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0 t ha-1. For each planting period, at every 28 day interval up to 84 days, the subterranean parts of the purple nutsedge were separated into their different structures and their fresh and dry biomasses were determined. In general, the larger size of the tubers favored the development of the subterranean parts. It was noted that the plants originated from large sized tubers presented greater fresh and dry biomasses. The addition of increasing quantities of sugar cane straw reduced the growth of the different subterranean structures following a second degree equation. Greater fresh and dry biomasses were observed on the September planting, except for the fresh biomass of the tubers, which was greater in May. Sampling periods caused linear increases in function of time for all the variables studied.
purple nutsedge; rhizome; root
