Abstract Herbicide mineralization in the soil is affected by several factors, including the herbicide application history of the soil, soil moisture, and whether the herbicide is co-applied with another herbicide. The objective of this work was to evaluate S-metolachlor mineralization in the soil as affected by soil moisture content, history of herbicide application, and association with glyphosate. 14C-S-metolachlor mineralization increased with increasing soil moisture content. The average cumulative mineralization of S-metolachlor at 63 days of incubation was 0.03, 0.80, and 1.80% in air-dried, field capacity, and saturated soil, respectively. The mineralization rate of S-metolachlor was greater under saturated conditions and affected by the association with glyphosate. Greater mineralization of S-metolachlor occurred in cornfield soil with a history of S-metolachlor application. The average cumulative mineralization was 0.24% in cornfield and 0.89% in non-cultivated area. We can conclude that the higher the soil moisture content the higher S-metolachlor mineralization and that the mixture of this herbicide with glyphosate increased its degradation compared to the application of the herbicide alone. While there is evidence suggesting enhanced degradation of S-metolachlor in soil previously subjected to corn cultivation and S-metolachlor application, drawing a definitive conclusion is challenging due to the influence of sorption observed in our dataset.

Num ecossistema agrícola, a redução do banco de sementes é um dos aspectos mais importantes no manejo de plantas daninhas; e em solos de várzeas, o arroz vermelho (Oryza sativa L.) é atualmente considerado a principal planta daninha. Nesse sentido, conduziu-se um experimento com o objetivo de avaliar a evolução do banco de sementes de arroz vermelho no solo em diferentes sistemas de semeadura de arroz irrigado e em alternativas de manejo do solo de várzea. O experimento foi instalado em campo por dois anos consecutivos na mesma área (safras agrícolas 1996/97 e 1997/98) em Santa Maria, RS, em solo classificado como Planossolo, com infestação média de 516 sementes viáveis de arroz vermelho/m². A estimativa do banco de sementes de arroz vermelho foi realizada através de 10 coletas de solo, utilizando um cilindro com 0,10m de diâmetro a 0,10m de profundidade. Após a coleta, os grãos foram separados do solo e realizado teste de tetrazólio para determinar a quantidade de sementes viáveis na amostra. As coletas foram realizadas antes da instalação do experimento (set/1996), após a colheita do primeiro ano (mai/1997) e após a colheita do segundo ano (mai/1998). Os resultados mostraram que o cultivo do arroz no sistema convencional promove aumento no banco de sementes de arroz vermelho, enquanto que a semeadura de arroz em solo inundado (mix de pré-germinado, prégerminado ou transplante de mudas) é tão eficiente na redução do banco de sementes de arroz vermelho quanto a rotação com o sorgo, o pousio do solo sem a presença de animais e também o preparo de verão.

In an agricultural ecosystem, the redution of weed seed bank is of utmost importance. In lowland areas, red rice (Oryza sativa) is the most important weed. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the evolution of the red rice seed bank under different seeding systems and alternatives of soil management. The experiment was conducted during two years (1996/97 and 1997/98 growing seasons) in Santa Maria, RS in Albaqualf soil with an average infestation of 556 viable seeds per square meter. The assessement of the seed bank was conducted by ten samplings using a cylinder with 10cm of diameter and 10cm depth. After each sampling the seeds were separated and the number of viable seeds was determinated by tetrazolium test. The sampling were carried out before establishing the experiment (September 1996) after the first harvest (May 1997) and after the second harvest (May 1998). The results showed that the traditional rice cropping method increases the red rice seed bank, whereas the systems in which the rice is seeded in flooded soil (no tillage water seeded, water seeded and transplanted seedlings) are as efficient in reducing the red rice seed bank as the system that applies crop rotation with sorghum or fallow without the presence of grazing animals or soil tillage during summer.