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Integrated Weed Management in Eucalyptus Plantations: A Review

By Úrsula Ramos Zaidan, Wendel Magno de Souza, Gerson dos Santos Lisboa · August 28, 2026

Weed management in *Eucalyptus* plantations should not be an ancillary silvicultural operation, but rather a component that influences establishment, plant development, stand operational management, and vegetation conditions under the canopy throughout the cycle. This review examines the management of spontaneous vegetation in *Eucalyptus* plantations, from establishment to understory dynamics, with an emphasis on how operational control practices can be reorganized within an integrated weed management (IWM) framework. The literature shows that interference is most critical at planting and during early growth, when seedlings still exhibit low competitive ability and high exposure to competition for water, nutrients, light, and space. However, its effects are not restricted to establishment, as weed coexistence can alter crop development, nutrient use, biomass accumulation, and wood production for several years. Operational studies indicate that weed competition responses depend on the duration, intensity, and spatial arrangement of control, including strip width, timing of intervention, and suppression persistence. Chemical control remains the dominant foundation of management, but its performance depends on dose, clone, application conditions, straw residue, reinfestation pattern, and light availability. The article also discusses the limitations of the herbicide-centered model, elements of IWM, ecological implications of the understory, and research gaps, advocating for management protocols based on coexistence periods that are spatially explicit and tailored to the production context.

Continue reading →DOI doi.org/10.55746/treed.2026.08.291