Selectivity of Chlorimuron-Ethyl to Castorbean Crops

ABSTRACT: Castorbean presents high sensitivity to competition; therefore, it is necessary to develop alternatives for the weed management, mainly for the chemical control of eudicotyledons species. The goal of this work was to evaluate the selectivity of chlorimuron-ethyl to castorbean crops in different development stages. Four experiments differentiated by the genetic material were conducted: Lyra, Íris and Savana hybrids and AL Guarany 2002 cultivar. The treatments corresponded to the application conditions of chlorimuron-ethyl [sample control with no application, doses of 15 e 20 g a.i. ha-1 with the formulations Classic™ and Clorimuron Master Nortox™] in two phenological crop stages (4 to 5 and 7 to 8 true leaf stages). The experimental design was in randomized blocks with four replications, in a factorial scheme of 5 x 2 (herbicide and application stage). The intoxication was more severe for the 7 to 8 leaf stage and with the dose of 20 g ha-1 on day 7 days after application (DAA); there were plant recovery and mild symptoms on day 21 DAA, especially for the 4 to 5 leaf stage. The yield was reduced with the 20 g ha-1 dose for Lyra hybrid with both formulations and for Savana castorbean, only with the Classic™ formulation. The chlorimuron-ethyl herbicide, at 15 g ha-1, showed selectivity to castorbean, regardless of the stage application (4 to 5 or 7 to 8 leaves).