Weed management in glyphosate-resistant maize

Adenosine triphosphate alleviates high temperature-enhanced glyphosate toxicity in maize seedlings

Extracellular ATP plays a key role in regulating plants stress responses. Here, we aimed to determine whether ATP can alleviate the glyphosate toxicity in maize seedlings under high temperature by regulating antioxidant responses. Foliar spraying with 100 μM glyphosate inhibited the growth of maize seedlings at room temperature (25 °C), leading to an increase in shikimic acid accumulation and oxidative stress (evaluated via lipid peroxidation, free proline, and H2O2 content) in the leaves, all of which were further exacerbated by high temperature (35 °C). The growth inhibition and oxidative stress caused by glyphosate were both alleviated by exogenous ATP. Moreover, the glyphosate-induced antioxidant enzyme activity and antioxidant accumulation were attenuated by high temperature, while ATP treatment reversed this inhibitory effect. Similarly, qPCR data showed that the relative expression levels of antioxidant enzyme-related genes (CAT1, GR1, and γ-ECS) in maize leaves were upregulated by ATP before exposure to GLY. Moreover, high temperature-enhanced GLY residue accumulation in maize leaves was reduced by ATP. ATP-induced detoxification was attenuated through NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibition. Higher NOX activities and O2•- production were noted in ATP-treated maize leaves compared to controls prior to GLY treatment, indicating that the extracellular ATP-induced alleviation of GLY toxicity was closely associated with NOX-dependent reactive oxygen species signalling. The current findings present a new approach for reducing herbicide toxicity in crops exposed to high temperatures.

Terbuthylazine herbicide: an alternative to atrazine for weed control in glyphosate-tolerant maize

It is proposed that the herbicide terbuthylazine is more effective than atrazine in controlling weeds in maize. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of terbuthylazine and atrazine in a mixture with glyphosate in glyphosate-tolerant maize for post-emergence application. The experiment was conducted over three trials using randomized blocks with 4 repetitions and 10 treatments, composed by terbuthylazine rates + glyphosate, atrazine rates + glyphosate, [atrazine + mesotrione] + glyphosate, atrazine + tembotrione, isolated glyphosate, and nontreated control. Trial 1 were infested with Bidens subalternans DC. and Commelina benghalensis L; trial 2 with Urochloa plantaginea (Link) R. D. Webster, Ipomoea spp., volunteer soybean, B. subalternans, and grasses; and trial 3 infestation with C. benghalensis, U. plantaginea, Ipomoea spp., volunteer soybean, B. subalternans, Amaranthus hybridus L., and grasses. Weed control, crop injury, and yield were evaluated. Terbuthylazine + glyphosate showed an efficacy equivalent to that of atrazine or [atrazine + mesotrione] + glyphosate in the control of broadleaves and C. benghalensis. In contrast, the efficacy of terbuthylazine was similar or greater than that observed for atrazine in controlling grasses, depending on the location. Terbuthylazine is an important partner of glyphosate in controlling weeds in maize and is an alternative to atrazine.

Tank mixture of glyphosate and 2,4-D applied on RR® maize crop

Herbicide tank-mixing is often carried out by farmers aiming to control weeds in crops. Thus, it is important to evaluate the effects of these mixtures regarding the selectivity of crops. The aim of this work is to assess the selectivity of increasing doses of herbicides (glyphosate and 2,4-D), applied alone or as a mixture, on maize crop. Two experiments were carried out in randomized blocks, with four replications, during two crop years. The evaluated variables were: phytotoxicity, plant height, stem diameter, ear length, number of rows per ear, number of grains per row, mass of 1,000 grains and grain yield. The herbicide, 2,4-D, when applied in mixture with glyphosate caused severe phytotoxicity symptoms on maize. Grain yield and growth characteristics were not affected by the herbicides applied alone or as a mixture. Increasing doses of 2,4-D caused severe phytotoxicity symptoms on hybrid Status VIP3. Increasing doses of glyphosate did not show phytotoxicity symptoms and are not directly correlated to any injury caused by 2,4-D in the SX 5885 VIP3 maize hybrid.