Assessment of effects on non-target plants from sulfonylurea herbicides using field approaches

• Published in: Pesticide Science 1998-03, Vol.52 (3), p.199-217
• Main Authors: Obrigawitch, Timothy T., Cook, Gilbert, Wetherington, Jeff
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agrochemicals products; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on plants and fungi; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; non-target effects review; Other agrochemicals used in plant protection (herbicides, fungicides, etc.); Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Pollution effects and side effects of agrochemicals on crop plants and forest trees. Other anthropogenic factors; Pollution effects. Side effects of agrochemicals; sulfonylurea herbicides
• ISSN: 0031-613X; 1526-498X; 1096-9063
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9063(199803)52:3<199::AID-PS696>3.0.CO;2-Y

Since their introduction in the early 1980s, there have been a number of field studies conducted to assess the effects of sulfonylurea herbicides on non‐target plants (i.e. plants not labeled for use). In these studies a wide variety of plant response assessment techniques have been used to measure effects on non‐target plants. This paper examines the relationship of short‐term plant response measurements to plant productivity measurements such as yield or quality. Whether short‐term plant response measurements have a practical degree of accuracy and precision appropriate for hazard assessment on non‐target plants from sulfonylureas is discussed. A comprehensive review of published literature and unpublished field studies of the effects of sulfonylureas on the yield and quality of non‐target plant species is reported. When this information is coupled with exposure factors and environmental fate characteristics, the risks to non‐target plants from sulfonylureas are similar to those from other herbicides used at higher application rates. © 1998 SCI.