Despite the fact that weed control entails high costs to crop production, the availability of national and international papers regarding papaya weed control is scarce, showing that little importance has been given to this subject in the last decades. Some integrated weed management advances attamed in several countries are discussed, particularly in the use of both natural groundcover or leguminous plants in the crop interrows. However, several weed species have been identified as host plants of major virus vectors to the crop, such as C. benghalensis and S. americanum. Such information is of major importance for selective weed control, particularly in the integrated system of papaya production. The present review also examined herbicide selectivity, weedy periods as well as the main characteristics and practical aspects of weed control in papaya, focusing on the production areas of the northern Espírito Santo State.
Carica papaya; herbicides; integrated management; weedy period; selectivity
