A sowing tool denominated ERRS was developed, which, when coupled to the straw-cutting disks of no-till planters, reduces soil disturbance during crop sowing. To evaluate the effect of this tool on weed management, two experiments were carried-out at Cruz Alta-RS, Brazil. Soil exposure at corn row sowing, weed emergence density and site (row and inter-row) and the interaction of these characteristics with chemical weed control were determined. Both experiments were conducted in a split-plot design with five repetitions to test the factors weed control and tool used. The prototype evaluated kept the soil mulch almost intact when planting corn, with soil exposure in the field being reduced up to 78%, with consequent reduction in emergence of Bidens sp. (55%), Brachiaria plantaginea (up to 37%), Ipomoea sp. (50%) and Raphanus raphanistrum (26%). The species Bidens sp., B. plantaginea and R. raphanistrum germinated predominantly in the plant rows. This tendency was not so evident in the other weeds studied, mainly C. halicacabum and E. heterophylla. The use of the proposed equipment decreased soil exposure in the corn sowing rows, reducing the density of several weeds and improving the chemical weed control of the crop.
herbicides; cultural control; no-till; seeder
