COTTON
DESTROYING COTTON STALKS WITH ELECTRIC WEEDING
by Lucrativa Pesquisa e Consultoria
Cotton - Demonstration in Campos de Holambra - 17/07/2023
Demonstration of electric weeding powered by Zasso, to destroy cotton bushes.
Amazing results obtained in the latest tests.
The studies were conducted by Lucrativa Consultoria.
Methodology
Location: Agromax Experimental Station – Primavera do Leste – MT
Entity: Lucrativa Consultoria
Cultivar: FM 978 GLTP
Sowing: 02/03/2023
Harvest: 07/21/2023
Trial Installation: 11/08/2023
Evaluations:
a. 1st – 11/15/2023
b. 2nd – 11/22/2023
c. 3rd – 11/29/2023
The application by electricity was carried out with a prototype powered by Zasso, which involved passing metal plates directly in contact with the cotton stalks. The initial plan was to pass the equipment twice, simulating a sequential electric discharge. However, the second pass was not necessary, as the stalks were already dead. Chemical applications were performed with the herbicide 2,4-D in three stages, as shown in Table 2.
Results and Discussion
The data regarding the control of cotton stalks and regrowth plants are presented in Table 2. Although the protocol included two stages of electric discharge application, the second stage was not necessary.
The number of regrowth plants per meter was lower in treatments with electrical control compared to the intervals of 2,4-D application.
Table 2 shows the number of regrowth plants per meter. We observed that the lower voltages were very efficient compared to the herbicide treatments.
The controls at 21 days were statistically equal; however, in absolute numbers, the physical control is much better, reducing the risk of pests and diseases in the system by eliminating almost 100% of the plants.
Under the soil and climatic conditions of this study, the results obtained allow us to consider that:
- The electric discharge was effective in destroying the cotton stalks from the first evaluation period;
- The control with electricity was superior to the chemical control in the initial evaluations;
