Potencial alelopático da cultura do girassol (Helianthus annuus L.)

Abstract

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a vegetal species of great commercial interest and it's known for presenting elevated allelochemical production, being itself a source of sesquiterpens and other compounds of recognized biological activity.This project proposes to evaluate the allelopathic effect of the sunflower culture. The first experiment evaluated, through the relay seeding technique, the allelopathic effect of the sunflower culture upon different species of both weed and cultivated plants.The second experiment sought to evaluate the differential capacity of 23 sunflower genotypes in the development of Bidens spp. plants, using the relay seeding technique. The third experiment carried out at a greenhouse evaluated the allelopathical potential of the mulching in different levels: 0, 1.649, 3.298, 6.596 e 13.192 Kg.ha-1 of fodder upon the soil. The fourth experiment (3x5x2) made use of three sunflower genotypes, distributed in five time intervals of mulching upon the soil (60, 30, 15, 10 and 5 days before the seeding of the receptive species, Bidens spp., being two of the mulching levels upon the soil: 3.298 e 13.192 Kg.ha-1. It has also counted with an untreated, soil that didn't receive any mulching. The first experiment, conducted in the laboratory, points out to the relay seeding technique, which uses sunflower plants as a donating species, as an adequate technique to detect stimulating or inhibitory effects. In the second experiment, it was seen a great variability as to the germination, root and shoot growth of the species Bidens spp., because of the allelopathical potential of 23 sunflower genotypes. Through a pondered average, it was identified the Aguará 4 genotype as being of the greatest allelopathical potential and the AG 972 genotype, as of smallest potential. In the third experiment, it was seen that the increasing of sunflower mulching on the soil surface, despite of the genotype used, until 13.192 Kg.ha-1provoked a significant reduction in the percentage of emergence, rate of emergence speed, length of the aerial part and root of the Bidens spp. plant. However, there have not been found any significant differences between sunflower genotypes for these standards. In the fourth experiment, using mulching residues, the data didn't allow us to determine the allelopathical differences between the three tested genotypes. Mostly, the combination of time intervals between 15 days and 13.192 Kg.ha-1 of mulching was responsible for the greatest inhibitory effects upon the Bidens spp. plants. The analysis of nitrogen levels in the soil indicate that probably the imobilization of nitrogen is not the cause of inhibitory effects of sunflower straw upon Bidens spp.