INTERFERENCE OF Urochloa decumbens populations in the development of macaúba seedlings (Acrocomia aculeata)

Urochloa decumbens species, known as signalgrass, is a forage widely used for pasture, however, in some contexts the species becomes an important weed, very competitive and difficult to control. In cultivation environments, the presence of the species can hinder the development of the crop, which makes efficient control necessary. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interference of U. decumbens populations in the development of macaúba seedlings. The experiment was carried out in a nursery at the Santa Paula/UFVJM experimental farm. A randomized block design was used, with four treatments and five replications, where each experimental unit comprised one plant (macaúba) grown in a 33L pot. The treatments were composed of different population densities of U. decumbens being 2, 4 and 6 plants per pot in coexistence with macaúba and one control without conviviality. Before the sowing of U. decumbens and after three months of coexistence, to calculate the increment rate, plant height, stem diameter and number of leaves in macaúba were evaluated, at the end the dry matter mass (shoot, saxophone stem and roots) was calculated. With the data, analysis of variance was performed followed by comparison of means using Duncan's test at the level of 5% significance. To increase the height, the treatments with conviviality were statistically inferior to the control without conviviality. Following the same trend, the increase in diameter was statistically higher in the control without conviviality compared to the other treatments