Critical times for weed competition on cassava cultivation in the colombian dry Caribbean

• Main Authors: Jose Antonio Rubiano-Rodríguez, Carina Cecilia Cordero-Cordero
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de Córdoba 2019-07-01
• Series: Temas Agrarios
• Subjects: weeds; control; cassava; coverage; competition; season
• Online Access: https://revistas.unicordoba.edu.co/index.php/temasagrarios/article/view/2117/2544

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the crops that produces the greatest amount of energy, mainly as a source of carbohydrates. However, the crop can be affected by phytosanitary problems such as insects, fungi and weeds, among others. Weeds can be the worst sanitary problem in commercial crops. Reports of wrong weed management in cassava crops can reduce up to 50% final production. The objective of this work was to evaluate the critical period of weed competition in cassava cultivation. Ten treatments, with three replicates each, were evaluated. Weed percentage coverage, weed fresh weight, weed dry matter content, weed height, plant height, number of plants harvested, dry matter percentage, crop index, yield, per plot and per hectare, were evaluated. Weed fresh weight and dry matter content tend to increase when remaining for longer period of time (179.3 and 114.5 gr for T1 and T9 respectively for fresh weight and 36.4 gr for dry matter in T6). The largest weed coverage in the crop affected the height of the cassava plants and the number of plants harvested. Critical time for weeds influencing yield of cassava cultivation is between 60 and 90 days after planting.