Multifractal analysis of weeds in a no-tillage system in the Pre-Amazon region

Abstract

Weeds have several mechanisms of dispersal and reproduction, resulting high spatial variability. The objective of this study was to assess the scale and spatial heterogeneity of weeds using multifractal analysis in a no-tillage system in the Pre-Amazon region. Sampling was conducted in a commercial soybean (Glycine max) production plot in the Mata Roma, Maranhão, Brazil, comprising 1,071 points marked on a 10 × 10 m grid. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multifractal analysis through the box-counting method. Weeds showed varying degrees of multifractality, resulting in different scales and spatial heterogeneity in the study area. Euphorbia hirta and Turnera subulata exhibited asymmetry of branches to the left in the singularity spectrum, indicating dominance of high measurement values.