Acclimation to cold stress reduces injury from low temperature and bispyribac-sodium on rice.

Background: In subtropical areas, early planting exposes rice seedlings to cold stress, impairing seedling growth and making them more vulnerable to other stresses including herbicide injury. The objectives of this work were: to evaluate the effect of cold stress on bispyribac-sodium selectivity in rice; to determine the mechanisms of cold tolerance in sensitive ('Epagri 109') and tolerant ('IRGA 424') rice cultivars; and to ascertain that cold acclimatization influences bispyribac-sodium selectivity in rice.

Results: Prolonged cold stress caused high lipid peroxidation, increased rice injury, and stunted growth.

Ecological risk analysis of pesticides used on irrigated rice crops in southern Brazil.

Based on studies conducted in the past decade in the southern region of Brazil to determine residue levels of the pesticides normally used on irrigated rice crops, changes can be observed in relation to the presence of pesticides in the waters of the main river basins in Santa Catarina State. In previous harvests, the presence of residues of 7 pesticides was determined, with the herbicide bentazon and the insecticide carbofuran being the products showing highest frequency. Following toxicological tests conducted with 8 different test organisms, deterministic and probabilistic risk analysis was performed to assess the situation of the river basins in areas used for the production of irrigated rice.

Absorption, translocation and metabolism of bispyribac-sodium on rice seedlings under cold stress.

Background: Rice production is highly affected by weed competition. The efficacy of chemical weed control and crop safety is a function of absorption, translocation and metabolism of herbicides. This study investigates the effect of cold stress 22/16 °C (day/night) on absorption, translocation and metabolism of (14)C-bispyribac-sodium on rice seedlings.

Risk analysis of herbicide quinclorac residues in irrigated rice areas, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Deterministic and probabilistic risk analyses were carried out for seven hydrographic basins in the State of Santa Catarina (Brazil), where irrigated rice is cultivated. Monitoring studies conducted in 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 had found that the herbicide quinclorac was the most frequently detected agrochemical residue, occurring in five of the seven hydrographic basins. In order to assess the ecological risk posed by quinclorac, median lethal concentration (LC(50)) and median effective concentration (EC(50)) data were obtained for quinclorac in toxicity tests with organisms routinely used in Brazil for this purpose.