Relative importance of crop seed, manure and irrigation water as sources of weed infestation

Three possible sources of field contamination by weed seeds were studied during 1983–86 in two areas of Fars Province, Iran. These sources were crop seed, irrigation water and sheep manure. Manure was found to be the most important, adding almost 10 million seeds ha^?1 at each application. Farmer-saved seed of wheat, the main crop of the area, added an average of 182,000 weed seeds ha^?1. Irrigation water added no more than 120 seeds ha^?1, but was able to carry seeds over long distances without affecting viability.     

Acetolactate synthase activity and chlorsulfuron sensitivity of wheat cultivars

Differences were observed in the sensitivity of three wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars to chlorsulfuron. Shoot dry weight was reduced by foliar applications of chlorsulfuron to a greater extent in cv. Rongotea than in cvs Lancer and Kotare. There was no difference between these cultivars in the specific activity of acetolactate synthase (ALS) enzyme extracted from leaves or roots. Moreover, chlorsulfuron inhibited ALS from the wheat cultivars to the same extent in?vitro. ALS measurement in vivo showed that after 15 h of incubating excised leaf tissues with chlorsulfuron, there was a greater reduction in ALS enzyme activity in Rongotea than in the other cultivars. Furthermore, 1 day after a foliar application of chlorsulfuron, in vitro ALS activity in leaves was reduced more in Rongotea than in Lancer or Kotare. Recovery of the enzyme activity following chlorsulfuron application was quicker in Kotare than in Lancer or Rongotea. It is concluded that differences in sensitivity of these wheat cultivars to chlorsulfuron are not due to differential ALS sensitivity or level, but may be due to differential rates of herbicide metabolism.     

The mechanism of differential response of wheat cultivars to chlorsulfuron

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars showed differential tolerance to chlorsulfuron. Cultivar Kotare showed no injury symptoms following foliar applications of chlorsulfuron at 15 or 60 g a.i. ha^?1, while cultivars Rongotea and Lancer showed early damage in pot and field experiments at both rates of chlorsulfuron. Cultivars Abele and Jasper were intermediate in their response. The number of spikelets per ear was the only yield component affected by chlorsulfuron and was reduced in Lancer and Rongotea. Retention, uptake and transiocation of chlorsulfuron were not different between Kotare and Ron-gotea. Within 48 h of application, Kotare metabolized 92–2% of [¹⁴C]chlorsulfuron, while Lancer and Rongotea metabolized only 43–5% and 63% of the herbicide, respectively. The concentration of chlorsulfuron in young tissues of Kotare, Lancer and Rongotea, 48 h after application was calculated as 1.2, 31.9 and 15.6 ng g^?1 dry weight, respectively. It is concluded that differential rates of metabolism are the main reason for differences in sensitivity to chlorsulfuron between the wheat cultivars tested. Le mécanisme des différences de tolérance au chlorsulfuron entre variétés de blé Des variétés de blé (Triticum aestivum L.) ont montré des différences de tolérance au chlorsul-furon. On n'a aucun symptôme de phytotoxicité sur la variété‘Kotare’ après une application foliaire de chlorsulfuron à 15 ou 60 g m.a. ha^?1, alors que les variétés ‘Rongotea’ et ‘Lancer’ présentaient des symptômes précoces aux deux doses, dans des expériences en pot et au champ. La réponse des variété‘Abele’ et ‘Jasper’était intermédiaire. Le nombre de grains par épillet était la seule composante du rendement affectée parle chlorsulfuron et était réduit chez Lancer et Rongotea. La rétention, la pénétration et la migration de chlorsulfuron n'était pas différentes entre Kotare et Rongotea. Quarante huit heures après le traitement, Kotare avait metabolise 92,2% du [¹⁴C]chlorsulfuron, alors que Lancer et Rongotea ne métabolisaient que respectivement 43,5 et 63% de l'herbicide. La concentration de chlorsulfuron dans les tissus jeunes de Kotare, Lancer et Rongotea 48 h après la traitement a étéévaluée à respectivement 1,2,31,9 et 15,6 ng g^?1 de matière sèche. Il est conclu que des différences de vitesse de métabolisation sont la raison principale des différences de sensibilité au chlorsulfuron observées chez les variétés de blé testées. Mechanismen der unterschiedlichen Reaktion von Weizensorten auf Chlorsulfuron-Behandlun-gen Es wurde eine unterschiedliche Toleranz bei Weizensorten (Triticum aestivum L.) gegenüber Chlorsulfuron-Behandlungen beobachtet. Bei der Sorte ‘Kotare’ traten nach Behandlungen mit 15 oder 60 g AS ha keine Schadsymtome auf, während die Sorten ‘Rongotea’ und ‘Lancer’ sowohl in Topfals auch in Freilandversuchen bei beiden Dosen frühe Schädigungen erlitten; die Sorten ‘Abel’ und ‘Jasper’ reagierten mittelstark. Unter den Ertragskomponenten war nur die Zahl der Ährchen pro Ähre betroffen, sie war bei ‘Lancer’ und ‘Rongotea’ reduziert. Aufnahme und Translokation des Wirkstoffs waren bei ‘Kotare’ und ‘Rongotea’ gleich. Bei ‘Kotare’ war [¹⁴C]Chlorsulfuron 48 h nach der Applikation zu 92,2 % metabolisiert, bei ‘Rongotea’ zu 63 % und bei ‘Lancer’ zu 43,5 %. In jungen Geweben dieser Sorten lagen die Chlor-sulfuron-Konzentrationen 48 h nach der Anwendung bei 1,2, 15,6 und 31,9 ng g^?1 TM. Die unterschiedlichen Metabolisierungsraten bei den untersuchten Weizensorten wurden für den Hauptgrund für die Toleranzunterschiede gegenüber Chlorsulfuron gehalten.     

Effect of different levels of mannitol-induced water stress on the tolerance of cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) to didofop-methyl

The effect of degree of water stress in Avena sativa on diclofop-methyl efficacy was assessed. Within 24 h of applying stress by adding mannitol to the root medium (0 to 12.5%), the rate of leaf extension of the youngest leaves (leaves 3 and 4) decreased with increasing mannitol concentration. Without water stress, application of diclofop-methyl had little effect on extension rate of leaves 3 and 4 during the first 4 days after spraying. Subsequently, it caused a significant decrease in the extension rate of leaf 4 with more pronounced effects on later leaves. Diclofop-methyl had little effect on leaf extension rate of plants given mannitol. Shoot dry weight at harvest for unsprayed plants decreased with increased mannitol concentration and for sprayed plants it was greater without mannitol than with mannitol (all levels). However, at mannitol concentrations greater than 4%, shoot dry weight for sprayed and unsprayed plants was not significantly different. Sprayed plants exposed to 2–8.5% mannitol produced seed heads but those at zero mannitol did not. When the root medium of all treatments was flushed of mannitol one week after spraying, then main-tained without mannitol, shoot dry weight at harvest for unsprayed plants decreased slightly with increased mannitol concentration applied initially. However, shoot dry weight for sprayed plants increased with increased mannitol concentration. Without mannitol two weeks after spraying, chlorophyll concentrations of leaves 3 and 4 were greater and water saturation deficit (WSD) values were lower for unsprayed plants than sprayed plants but there were no differences at 6.2% mannitol. It is proposed that tolerance to diclofop-methyl by A. sativa as a result of water stress, is primarily due to a decreased rate of leaf expansion resulting in lower demand for membrane synthesis and less strain on membranes damaged by the herbicide.     

Dissipation of imazapyr, flumetsulam and thifensulfuron in soil

The degradation of imazapyr, flumetsulam and thifensulfuron applied at 500.40 and 30 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha^-1, respectively, to silt loam soil was studied under laboratory and field conditions. Herbicide residues were analysed by a lentil ( Lens culinarits L.) bioassay. Results showed that temperature had a significant effect on herbicide degradation, whereas the impact of soil organic matter ami pH were less well defined. Half-lives for imazapyr, flumetsulam and thifensulfuron in soil samples from the 0-5 cm layer (6.4% organic carbon) at 15 °C were 125, 88 and 5.4 days, respectively, and 69, 30 and 3.9 days at 30°C. In soil sampled from the 15-20 cm layer (3.5% organic carbon) half-lives were 155. 70 and 6.4 days, respectively, at 15 °C and 77, 24 and 4.8 days at 30 °C, A field experiment investigated the degradation and teaching of each herbicide under two precipitation regimes [natural precipitation (208 mm), and natural precipitation plus 75 mm irrigation (283 mm) over 4 months to a soil depth of 25 cm. Thifensulfuron degraded rapidly, whereas residues of flumetsulam and imazapyr leached below 25 cm in both the low-and high-precipitasion treatments after 4 months. Significant imazapyr residues were still present in the soil to 25 cm depth after 3 months, A multi-component model for herbicide dissipation was developed and evaluated using data from the laboratory and field experiments.