Eficacia de herbicidas pre-emergentes y su índice de impacto ambiental en campo para el manejo de Sicyos polyacanthus en caña de azúcar en Tucumán, Argentina

Abstract

    Sicyos polyacanthus es una maleza de creciente importancia en caña de azúcar, debido a su capacidad de interferir con el cultivo y a las dificultades asociadas a su manejo. En este contexto, se evaluaron durante dos campañas agrícolas la eficacia de herbicidas pre-emergentes para el control de esta maleza y su impacto ambiental mediante el índice EIQ (Environmental Impact Quotient) en  condiciones de campo, en dos lotes comerciales de caña de azúcar con alta infestación de la maleza en el departamento Cruz Alta, Tucumán, Argentina. Se compararon cinco tratamientos de herbicidas y el testigo y se observaron diferencias significativas: flumetsulam y amicarbazone se destacaron por su excelente eficacia y persistencia a lo largo de todo el período evaluado, hasta 63 días, seguidos por diclosulam con muy buen desempeño, mientras que la mezcla isoxaflutole + indaziflam mostró buen control inicial con leve disminución posterior. En contraste, atrazina + acetoclor presentó el menor nivel de control y residualidad. Desde el punto de vista ambiental, este último tratamiento incrementó notablemente el EIQ, mientras que los demás herbicidas se posicionaron como alternativas de menor impacto, con mayor potencial para estrategias de manejo sustentable. La integración de efecto herbicida (EH) y EIQ a campo demuestra que los herbicidas más eficaces coincidieron con los de menor impacto ambiental, reforzando su valor para estrategias de manejo sustentable.

ABSTRACT

Efficacy of pre-emergence herbicides and their field environmental impact quotient for the management of Sicyos polyacanthus in sugarcane in Tucumán, Argentina

          Sicyos polyacanthus is an increasingly important weed in sugarcane due to its ability to interfere with the crop and the difficulties associated with its management. In this context, the efficacy of pre-emergence herbicides for controlling this weed and their environmental impact, assessed through the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ), were evaluated over two growing seasons under field conditions in two commercial sugarcane fields heavily infested with this weed in Cruz Alta, Tucumán, Argentina. Five herbicide treatments were compared, revealing significant differences among them. Flumetsulam and amicarbazone provided excellent control and residual activity throughout the entire evaluation period (up to 63 days after application), followed by diclosulam, which also showed very good performance. The isoxaflutole + indaziflam mixture achieved good initial control, although its efficacy declined slightly over time. In contrast, the atrazine + acetochlor treatment exhibited the lowest level of weed control and residual activity. From an environmental perspective, this treatment also resulted in the highest EIQ values, whereas the remaining herbicides represented lower-impact alternatives with greater potential for sustainable weed management strategies. The integration of herbicide efficacy and EIQ under field conditions demonstrated that the most effective herbicides were also those with the lowest environmental impact, reinforcing their value for sustainable weed management.