Weed Control Strips Influences on the Rubber Tree Growth

Caio Doria Guzzo, Leonardo B. de Carvalho, Pedro Luis da C. A. Alves, Elaine Cristine Piffer Gonçalves, Paulo F. Giancotti

APTA, Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios, Colina, Brazil.
UDESC, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Lages, Brazil.
UNESP, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Jaboticabal, Brazil.

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2014.58118                

Abstract

Hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree) is the most widely cultivated tree species for producing natural rubber latex whose productivity can be reduced by weeds. Field experiment was carried out during two years to evaluate the growth of rubber tree plants submitted to different weed control strips (0-weed-free, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400-(weedy cm) and to determine the critical width of weed control strip during the establishment of rubber tree plantation. Weed community was composed mainly by Urochloa decumbens (90%). The width of the weed control strip influenced on the initial plant growth of rubber trees, reducing the plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, and aboveground dry mass accumulation. In consequence, crop plantation was affected by the width of weed control. The critical width of the weed control strip for establishment of a rubber tree plantation was within 100 cm.

Keywords

Hevea brasiliensis; Urochloa decumbens; Weed Control; Weed Interference

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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