Glyphosate application associated to different concentrations of non-purified residue of biodiesel production

Abstract

Searching for renewable energy sources has motivated the development of biodiesel production units in Brazil. However, for biodiesel being considered fully sustainable, suitable destinations for its production waste should be found, especially for crude glycerin. Therefore, this work was developed to evaluate glyphosate herbicide efficacy on weed control when combined to different concentrations of non-purified residue of biodiesel production. Two experiments were carried out, one in an experimental plant nursery, using sourgrass (Digitaria insularis) as bioindicator, and another one in field condition, assessing the natural weed community. Adding biodiesel production waste to the spray mix solution has not increased glyphosate efficacy in controlling sourgrass. Furthermore, there was a reduction in glyphosate effectiveness after addition of waste to the spray mix solution at doses equal to or higher than 0.6% v/v. No results were found justifying the adoption of biodiesel production residue as an agricultural adjuvant. Positive points observed were minimal, with no consistency between species or application times, and glyphosate remains as the best application and recommendation option.