Journal of Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences

Herbaceous Legumes Intercropping in Weed Management of the Coffee Crop
Julio C. F. Santos, Aquiles J. da Cunha, Francisco A. Ferreira, Ricardo H. S. Santos, Ney S. Sakiyama, Paulo C. de Lima

Abstract
This study aimed to determine the influence of herbaceous legumes on weeds and on coffee culture. The experiment was set in a Catuaí coffee crop with 3 x 1 m spacing. It was used a random block with four replicates, consisting of eight treatments in a 3 x 2 + 2 factorial scheme, with three legume species: forage peanut (Arachis pintoi), siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum) and lablab (Dolichos lablab) and two different planting forms in the crop inter-rows with two and three rows of legumes spaced by 0.50 and 0.25 m, respectively. The additional treatments were hand weeding with hoe and chemical control with glyphosate. The legume lablab at 90 and 120 days after planting provided the greatest soil cover, the greatest predominance of its vegetation on the weeds and lower weed infestation. The reduction of the density and biomass of the weeds was promoted in the first year by lablab and siratro in the dry season and no differences between them in the rainy period, and in the second year promoted by forage peanut. Among the legumes species and among the additional treatments there were effects in the productivity of the coffee only in the last harvest.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v5n1a10