TOLERANCE OF YOUNG COFFEE PLANTS TO HERBICIDE APPLIED ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH FERTIACTYL

Abstract

The control of weeds in the coffee crop is hampered by the scarcity of selective herbicides for the growing crop. An alternative to circumvent the damage caused by herbicides is the use of chemical protectors with the ability to minimize herbicide intoxication. The objective was to evaluate the selectivity of herbicides applied alone or in a mixture in the tank with Fertiactyl Sweet® for recently transplanted coffee plants. The experiment was carried out in pots in a completely randomized design, in a 10x2 factorial scheme, with four replications. The first factor corresponded to nine herbicides: (oxyfluorfen; sulfentrazone; flumioxazin; [isoxaflutole + indaziflam]; isoxaflutole; indaziflam; [metribuzin + indaziflam]; chlorimuron-ethyl; and metsulfuron-methyl) and control without herbicide application; the second factor was the presence or absence of Fertiactyl Sweet. The treatments were applied “over the top” at 30 days after transplanting. From 7 to 172 days after application (DAA), the percentage of intoxication was evaluated. And at 172 DAA, the morphological variables of the plants were measured. The addition of Fertiactyl Sweet next to the herbicide syrup did not change the tolerance of coffee plants to herbicides. The most tolerant herbicides for coffee were oxyfluorfen and sulfentrazone. The commercial mixture indaziflam + metribuzin caused the death of the coffee seedlings. Fertiactyl Sweet® did not reduce the poisoning of Arabica coffee seedlings (Catuaí Vermelho - lineage 44) caused by the studied herbicides. The herbicides metsulfuron-methyl and oxyfluorfen were the most tolerated by recently transplanted coffee plants.