Spatial distribution of weeds and forage production in areas of continuous grazing

Abstract

The objective of this work was to map the incidence of weed flora and forage dry matter using tools of precision agriculture, seeking to ascertain the degree of correlation between them. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Station for Research, owned by the University of Tocantins - Campus Universitario de Araguaina. The area of the experiment was composed of seven continuous grazing paddocks, with 2ha each and within each paddock were scored six points. After the marking, a radius of 5m was limited where the count of weeds was made and in a representative point the quantification of the dry mass of forage. The sampling points were chosen at random, at irregular intervals in a total of 42 points. Statistical analysis of weed infestation and the amount of dry matter were generated by the technique of interpolation by kriging. The management system in continuous grazing significantly influenced the incidence of weeds and yield of dry forage in the studied areas. The incidence of weeds and the production of herbage dry matter also showed a degree of spatial dependence of 99%, which classifies these variables as having a high degree of spatial dependence.