Einfluß von Diclofop-methyl auf Wachstum und Entwicklung der Keimlinge von Zea mays L.*

Effect of diclofop-methyl on the growth und development of Zea mays L. seedlings Diclofop-mcthyl, a diphenoxypropionic acid herbicide, had no effect on the germination of maize (Zea mays) seed. Prc-ger-minated maize embryos showed inhibited radicle growth when treated with the herbicide, but those of beans were considerably less sensitive. The inhibitory effect of the herbicide on maize radicle growth was reversed when the embryos were transferred to herbicide-free medium within 24 h of treatment. The higher concentrations of diclofop-methyl tested (≥10^?6 M) induced necrosis on the second day of treatment, which first appeared in the meristematic and elongation zone of the root tip and then via the rest of the root to the grain. The herbicide increased the fresh and dry weight as well as the dry matter content of the radicle tips of Zea mays. These effects were attributed in an accumulation of cell wall material in the herbicide-treated root lips. In the presence of hydroxyurea, a selective inhibitor of cell division, the effect of diclofop-melhyl on radicle elongation was reduced but did not cease complelely. From these results it can be concluded that diclofop-methyl interferes with the processes that effect both cell division and cell elongation.