Banded weed control is one of the methods used for integrated weed management (IWM) to increase the rationalization of environmental use in crop activities management. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of in-and between-row weed control and the effects of weed competition on corn. The treatments consisted in the establishment of a range of Brachiaria plantaginea densities by varying the intensity of weed control in pre-emergence, complemented with post-emergence weed control in-row, between row and broadcast. Banded weed control was not efficient in decreasing weed competition and reducing corn grain yield, even at low weed infestation. In-row weed damage was two to three times higher than that of weeds in between-row or in broadcast. The in-row weed control needs complementation with other crop management strategies or with other weed control methods in between-row, and it is an important method to be used in IWM to help decrease the environmental impact on food production.
pre-emergence; post-emergence; integrated weed management; in-row weed control; Brachiaria plantaginea
