TITLE:
Herbicides and Plastic Covers for Weed Control in Orange Crops Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck
AUTHORS:
Mónica Guadalupe Lozano-Contreras, Wilson Ildelfonso Avilés-Baeza
KEYWORDS:
Weed Control, Phytotoxicity, Herbicides, Padded
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.12 No.9,
September
24,
2025
ABSTRACT: Weeds represent one of the main constraints in citrus production, as they compete for water, light, and nutrients, in addition to interfering with agricultural work. In Yucatán, Mexico, sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) cultivation is of great economic and social importance, but it can suffer losses of up to 40% due to weed proliferation. Given the progressive reduction in the use of glyphosate, sustainable and effective alternatives are needed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different combinations of herbicides and plastic covers on weed control in a young orange plantation. The experiment was conducted during the fall-winter cycle of 2023 in Muna, Yucatán, in a five-month-old plantation. Eight treatments were evaluated: combinations of preemergent and postemergent herbicides (ammonium glufosinate, paraquat, halosulfuronmethyl, indaziflam, glyphosate) and two plastic covers (silver/black plastic and black mesh). A randomized complete block design with four replicates was used. Weed coverage, phytotoxicity symptoms, and crop morphological variables were recorded up to 90 days after application. The plastic cover treatments achieved total weed control (0.0%) up to 75 days, followed by Paraquat + Halosulfuron methyl (0.4% - 7.9%). No symptoms of phytotoxicity were observed in the plants. Although there were no statistical differences in growth, the treatments. Although there were no statistical differences in growth, the most effective weed control treatments showed positive trends in vegetative development. It is concluded that plastic mulch and specific herbicide mixtures offer effective and safe alternatives for weed control in citrus under tropical conditions, with potentially beneficial effects on crop development.