This study aimed to estimate the effectiveness of weed control in maize (Zea mays L.), under a no-till system, in the Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna) region, by applying pre-emergence herbicides. Two experiments were carried out in Montevidiu, Goiás State, Brazil, during the 2007/2008 crop, in a randomized block design, with four replications. The following treatments were evaluated: atrazine (1,600 g ha-1), atrazine + s-metolachor (1,665 g ha-1 + 1,305 g ha-1), s-metolachor (1,680 g ha-1), atrazine + simazine (250 g ha-1 + 250 g ha-1), and control with and without weeds. It was found out that, 28 days after the treatments application, the herbicides atrazine and s-metolachor were not effective in controlling Cenchrus echinatus and Alternanthera tenella, respectively. The associations between atrazine + s-metolachor and atrazine + simazine have provided significant increases in the Euphorbia heterophilla and Alternanthera tenella control. The presence of weeds had a negative effect on crop yield.
Zea mays; atrazine; s-metolachor; simazine; no-tillage