Glyphosate applied at a hormetic dose improves ripening without impairing sugarcane productivity and ratoon sprouting

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2022-02, Vol.806 (Pt 2), p.150503, Article 150503
• Main Authors: de Almeida Silva, Marcelo, Espinoza Véliz, José Gerardo, Pereira Sartori, Maria Márcia, Luiz Santos, Hariane
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Edible Grain; Glycine - analogs & derivatives; Glyphosate; Herbicide; Hormesis; Pol% cane; Saccharum; Saccharum spp; Tillering; Yield
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150503

The management of sugarcane ripening is essential to ensuring the supply of high-quality raw material for the sugar-alcohol industry; chemical ripeners are frequently used to accelerate sucrose accumulation in the stalks during harvesting. The potential ripening effect of a low dose of glyphosate was evaluated in sugarcane, along with its impact on productivity and sprouting in the next crop cycle. A field experiment was conducted in 2015 and 2016 using a randomized block design with eight replicates in a split-plot scheme, with the following treatments: (1) control with only water application, (2) glyphosate at a low dose of 1.8 g a.e. ha−1 (corresponding to 0.005 L ha−1 of the commercial product (cp)), and (3) glyphosate at the commercially recommended dose for a ripener at 180 g a.e. ha−1 (corresponding to 0.50 L ha−1 of the cp) applied at 60, 45, 30, and 15 days before harvest (DBH). The harvest was performed on May 25, 2016 (0 DBH), and a total of five periods were evaluated. This study showed that the application of a hormetic dose of glyphosate to stimulate sugarcane ripening is promising, despite the limited duration of the effect. The application of the hormetic dose (1.8 g a.e. ha−1) at 30 DBH improved the technological quality of sugarcane in terms of Brix% juice, pol% cane, purity% juice, moisture% cane, reducing sugars, total reducing sugars, and total recoverable sugar. Additionally, it increased pol productivity, and did not affect ratoon sprouting in the subsequent cycle. Thus, this study provides a strategy for ripening management with a low environmental impact for sugarcane producers through a low (hormetic) dose of glyphosate. [Display omitted] •Hormetic dose of glyphosate (1.8 g a.e. ha−1) assessed as sugarcane ripener.•Low dose of glyphosate improved technological components of sugarcane.•Stalk yield and tillering were not impaired by low dose as the recommended dose.•Ratoon sprouting was stimulated by glyphosate at hormetic dose.•Hormetic dose of glyphosate can be used as ripener with low environmental impact.