Weed interference on nutrient accumulation in the leaves of cassava under no-tillage or conventional tillage

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of weed competition on the accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus in the leaves and on the dry weight of the roots of cassava (Manihot esculenta) in the conventional and no-tillage systems, in two crop cycles. The experiments were carried out in a randomized complete block design, with split-split plots and four replicates. The plots consisted of conventional tillage or no-tillage; the split plots, of the competition or not with weeds; and the split-split plots, of the evaluation periods (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, and 225 days after planting/pruning). In the first cycle, weed competition reduced the accumulation of nitrogen in 82.6 and 81.3% and of phosphorus in 65.7 and 85.3% under conventional tillage and no-tillage, respectively. In the second cycle, the reductions in the accumulation of nitrogen were of 41.1 and 52.4% and of phosphorus of 44.1 and 52.6%, in conventional tillage and no-tillage, respectively. The root dry weight of cassava grown with weed competition showed reductions of 15.8 and 11.2% under conventional tillage and no-tillage, respectively, only in the second cycle. Weed competition reduces the accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus in the leaves of cassava in the conventional and no-tillage systems in both crop cycles, but reduces the dry matter of cassava roots only in the second cycle.