This study evaluated effects to native plant and weedy Brassicaceae species growing in areas potentially affected by drift of glyphosate used with glyphosate-resistant canola (). Ten native grass and forb species were selected based on importance in prairie areas of North Dakota, US; and four introduced Brassicaceae species (, , , and ssp. ) were selected based on their ability to cross with .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFData for herbicide effects on plant flowering are needed to determine potential impacts on plant reproduction. Thus, flowering phenology was determined for up to 12 weeks after herbicide treatment for native Willamette Valley plants growing in small plots on two Oregon State University experimental farms. Six perennial species were evaluated: Camassia leichtlinii (CALE), Elymus glaucus (ELGL), Eriophyllum lanatum (ERLA), Festuca idahoensis subsp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerbicide drift may have unintended impacts on native vegetation, adversely affecting individual species and plant communities. To determine the potential ecological effects of herbicide drift, small plant community plots were constructed using 9 perennial species found in different Willamette Valley (OR, USA) grassland habitats. Studies were conducted at 2 Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR, USA) farms in 2 separate years, with single and combined treatments of 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCrops engineered to contain genes for tolerance to multiple herbicides may be treated with several herbicides to manage weeds resistant to each herbicide. Thus, nearby non-target plants may be subjected to increased exposure to several herbicides used in combination. Of particular concern are native plants, as well as adjacent crops which have not been genetically engineered for tolerance to herbicides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo determine effects of multiple applications of herbicides on small constructed plant communities, Prunella vulgaris L.var. lanceolata Fern, Festuca roemeri (Pavlick) Alexeev, Clarkia amoena (Lehm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe relative sensitivity of 17 noncrop plant species from Oregon's Willamette Valley was determined in response to glyphosate, tribenuron methyl (tribenuron), and fluazifop-p-butyl (fluazifop) herbicides. For glyphosate, Elymus trachycaulus, Festuca arundinacea, Madia elegans, Potentilla gracilis, and Ranunculus occidentalis were the most sensitive species, based on a concentration calculated to reduce shoot dry weight by 25% (IC25 values) of 0.02 to 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the United States, the US EPA has the responsibility for the registration of pesticides. For the protection of nontarget terrestrial plants this requires two simple greenhouse tests (seedling emergence and vegetative vigor), each done with ten species grown individually. Indications of unacceptable effects levels equivalent to environmental exposure can lead to field testing which is not well-defined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough laboratory toxicology tests are generally easy to perform, cost effective, and readily interpreted, they have been questioned for their environmental relevance. In contrast, field tests are considered realistic while producing results that are difficult to interpret and expensive to obtain. Toxicology tests were conducted on potatoes, peas, and soybeans grown in a native soil in pots in the greenhouse and were compared to plants grown outside under natural environmental conditions to determine toxicological differences between environments, whether different plant developmental stages were more sensitive to herbicides, and whether these species were good candidates for plant reproductive tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntegr Environ Assess Manag
October 2010
Although pesticide drift can affect crop yield adversely, current plant testing protocols emphasize only the potential impacts on vegetative plant growth. The present study was conducted to determine whether a plant species with a short life cycle, such as Brassica rapa L. Wisconsin Fast Plants®, can be used to indicate potential effects on seed production of herbicides applied at relatively low levels (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study determined whether young potato plants can be used as an assay to indicate potential effects of pesticides on asexual reproduction. Solanum tuberosum (Russet Burbank) plants were grown from seed pieces in a mineral soil in pots under greenhouse conditions. Plants were treated with herbicides (cloransulam, dicamba, glyphosate, imazapyr, primsulfuron, sulfometuron, or tribenuron) at simulated drift levels [=0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, genome-wide expression profiling based on Affymetrix ATH1 arrays was used to identify discriminating responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to five herbicides, which contain active ingredients targeting two different branches of amino acid biosynthesis. One herbicide contained glyphosate, which targets 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), while the other four herbicides contain different acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting compounds. In contrast to the herbicide containing glyphosate, which affected only a few transcripts, many effects of the ALS inhibiting herbicides were revealed based on transcriptional changes related to ribosome biogenesis and translation, secondary metabolism, cell wall modification and growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Toxicol Chem
September 2009
Even though herbicide drift can affect plant reproduction, current plant testing protocols emphasize effects on vegetative growth. In this study, we determined whether a short-growing season plant can indicate potential effects of herbicides on seed production. Pea (Pisum sativum cv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrent phytotoxicity plant test protocols for US pesticide registration require testing for effects on seedling emergence and early growth without regard to other important factors, such as plant reproduction. Yield and quality reduction can have significant economic and ecological effects. Therefore, field trials were conducted to determine if potato (Solanum tubersum L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntegr Environ Assess Manag
October 2008
Current testing guidelines for pesticide registration for the protection of nontarget plants calls for the use of sterilized, standardized soil consisting of primarily sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy clay, or clay loam that contains up to 3% organic matter. Low organic matter soils can be difficult to manage in a greenhouse setting because when soils dry, they contract, causing impeded water infiltration, or when overwatered, poor drainage increases the chances of anaerobic conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine if the results for the vegetative vigor test differed when using either natural or artificial soils.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntegr Environ Assess Manag
January 2008
In this study, we evaluated methodology to determine risks to terrestrial native plant species from potential herbecide drift, focusing on 1) selection of native species for testing, 2) growth of these species, and 3) variability in herbicide response among native species and compared with crop plants. Native plant species were selected for initial testing on the basis of spatial analysis, which indicated that species from Illinois, USA, were at potential risk for off-target effects of herbicide drift. On the basis of preliminary seed germination tests, 5 native plant species (Andropogon gerardi, Polygonum lapathifolium, Solidago canadensis, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum, and Tridens flavus) were selected for comparison with crops grown in Illinois, normally used in the US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) Vegetative Vigor Test (Avena sativa, Daucus carota, Glycine max, Solanum lycopersicon, and Zea mays), or both.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn many countries, numerous tests are required as part of the risk assessment process before chemical registration to protect human health and the environment from unintended effects of chemical releases. Most of these tests are not based on ecological or environmental relevance but, rather, on consistent performance in the laboratory. A conceptual approach based on Geographic Information System (GIS) technology has been developed to identify areas that are vulnerable to nontarget chemical exposure.
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