Weeds can occur in cultivated areas, competing with crops and causing considerable losses. Herbicides are the basis of weed control; however, they are questionable due to their possible negative impacts on human health and the environment. An alternative for controlling weeds is using cover plants. This study aimed to determine the floristic composition of weeds in an Amazonian agrosystem with cover plants and to evaluate the production of biomass, the soil cover rate and the weed suppression potential of cover plants. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme. The factors under study were the cover species (Brachiaria ruziziensis, Canavalia ensiformis, Mucuna deeringiana) and the control group that consisted of weeds, evaluated during two agricultural years (2017 and 2018), with four replicates. Digitaria horizontalis was the most important weed species and was completely suppressed by B. ruziziensis. This cover type had a large production of biomass, greater coverage of the soil and high suppression of weeds in the Amazonian agrosystem.

Dead cover, or mulch, consisting of plant residues, plays an important role for the success of diverse agricultural crops, working as an insulating layer protecting the soil from daytime temperature variations and maintaining the soil moist and rich in organic matter. Cowpea is a source of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Its importance in the North, Northeast and Midwest regions of the country is associated with economic and social aspects, since it is an important food for low-income populations, supplying their nutritional needs. This study was carried out under greenhouse conditions in Manaus, state of Amazonas, with the purpose of assessing the effect of different dead covers on the agronomic characteristics of cowpea cultivars. It consisted of a completely randomized design in a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement. The treatments comprised four cowpea cultivars (BRS Caldeirão, BRS Tumucumaque, BRS Guariba and BRS Tracuateua) and three species of cover plants (Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria ruziziensis and Mucuna pruriens) and one control treatment, without soil cover, in a total of 16 treatments, with four replications and two plants per experimental unit. Analysis of variance was applied to the data, and the means were compared by the Scott-Knott’s test at 5% probability level. The following characteristics were examined: number of pods per plant, pod length, number of seeds per pod, weight of shoot dry matter, and grain yield. Mulching provided better results for all characteristics assessed in the four cultivars when compared to the control. BRS Caldeirão is the recommended cultivar for the state of Amazonas and the other regions with similar edaphoclimatic characteristics (high air temperature, rainfall, air humidity, and low-fertility tropical soils) because it exhibited the greatest number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, shoot dry matter, and the highest average grain yield (Freire Filho et al., 2011; Souza et al., 2016).

The seed yield of guarana (Paullinia cupana H.B.K. var. sorbilis) is affected by weeds. Management is difficult for Amazon farmers and ranchers, owing to the hot and humid climate prevailing in the region, which makes mechanical control inefficient and leads farmers to the decision to use herbicides. Herbicide damage to this species is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate glyphosate damage to the development and quality of guarana seedlings. The treatments consisted of glyphosate doses at concentrations of 0, 126, 252, 540, 1080, 2160 and 3240 g a.e. ha−1 and were evaluated for 60 days, in two applications. Analyses were performed for biometrics, seedling development, anthracnose and Injury characteristics. Glyphosate caused symptoms of Injury in all doses applied, but lower doses did not interfere with seedling growth and development. There was a correlation between anthracnose severity and increased glyphosate dose. When applied correctly, glyphosate can be an integrated weed management tool for use in guarana crops.