Cocoa bean (theobroma cacao l) exudate as a weed management herbicide

Abstract

The objective was to determine the physical-chemical composition and the effects of cocoa bean exudate on weeds, working in the laboratory and field. The exudate has a cloudy beige appearance, a moderately alcoholic odor, 4.02 acidity, 3.76 pH and 1.16 density; It is composed of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, coumarins and sterols; The acute toxicity test did not reveal poisoning in rodent species. Preliminarily, the solution that with the lowest concentration of exudate inhibited the germination of radish seeds was determined. This solution made with 10% of the cocoa exudate and 90% deionized water was called the control solution; With this preliminary basis, five treatments derived from the control solution were tested under a Completely Randomized Block design; the best inhibition result was with the 100% control solution. Two trials with weed seeds were established in the field; The application of the treatments in the first pre-emergence trial was carried out immediately after sowing, evaluating eight days after the seeds germinated, using a Random Block design under a bifactor arrangement with 15 treatments, the analysis did not report statistical differences. nor did the inhibitory effect on the seeds occur. The second post-emergence trial was worked with the same design and 25 treatments, the application was carried out eight and 15 days after the seeds germinated, evaluating 8 days after each application; The analysis of variance established statistical differences, where the species Amaranthus spinosus L. with 50% of the control solution plus 50% of deionized water reached higher averages in the first and second application with values ​​of 2.33% and 3.00% of according to the Alam scale, observing slight burns and delayed development.