Coverage plants in coffee production systems as weed control

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the floristic and phytosociological compositions of weeds and the influence of cover crops between rows of organic and conventional coffee plantations. The assessment of weeds was carried out in two seasons (dry and rainy) in 2019 and 2020. A square made from welded iron bars of 0.50 x 0.50 m (0.25 m2) was launched four times in each block randomly, avoiding overlap, totaling 4.0 m2 of sampled area. A total of 41 weed species were found and described, which were distributed in 38 genera and 19 families with the predominance of Poaceae and Asteraceae. The most abundant species were Cyperus sp. and Urochloa decumbens Staf. that occurred simultaneously in all treatments and showed greater importance (IVI) among weeds. The similarity index is generally low, indicating that the weed community was affected by the presence and absence of cover crops.