Coppice management in <i>Eucalyptus</i>: a comparison between chemical and mechanical control of lateral sprouts

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the growth of Eucalyptus, managed in a coppice system and subjected to either mechanical or chemical control of lateral sprouts. The trial was conducted in a commercial plantation of Celulose Nipo-Brasileira, located in the municipality of Belo Oriente – MG, Brazil, using the Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla clone. The experimental design was arranged in randomized blocks with four repetitions. The experimental units consisted of plots with 64 eucalyptus plants spaced 3 m x 3.33 m. Sprout control was carried out either by manual removal with a digging tool or by applying glyphosate at doses of 360, 720, 1,080, or 1,440 g ha^-1. For the chemical control treatments, intoxication in the selected sprouts was assessed 15 days after herbicide application during early sprout thinning. For all treatments, height and diameter increments, and wood production, were measured at 72 months. Glyphosate intoxication was observed in the managed sprouts, and a reduction in wood production was noted, particularly at higher doses. The use of glyphosate for lateral sprout control reduces the growth and production of E. grandis x E. urophylla in a coppice system, especially when applied at high doses.