Predicting sublethal effects of herbicides on terrestrial non-crop plant species in the field from greenhouse data

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) 2008-09, Vol.155 (1), p.141-149
• Main Authors: Riemens, Marleen M., Dueck, Thom, Kempenaar, Corné
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adverse effects; Agrochemicals products; Aminobutyrates - toxicity; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass; Chemical control; developmental stages; dry matter accumulation; Ecology - methods; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on plants and fungi; experimental design; field experimentation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glufosinate ammonium; greenhouse experimentation; herbicides; Herbicides - toxicity; Life cycle; Non-crop terrestrial plants; nontarget organisms; Other agrochemicals used in plant protection (herbicides, fungicides, etc.); Parasitic plants. Weeds; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; plant age; plant development; Plant Physiological Phenomena; plants; Pollution effects and side effects of agrochemicals on crop plants and forest trees. Other anthropogenic factors; Pollution effects. Side effects of agrochemicals; population dynamics; prediction; risk assessment; Seed production; seed productivity; Seeds; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Weeds
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2007.10.034

Guidelines provided by OECD and EPPO allow the use of data obtained in greenhouse experiments in the risk assessment for pesticides to non-target terrestrial plants in the field. The present study was undertaken to investigate the predictability of effects on field-grown plants using greenhouse data. In addition, the influence of plant development stage on plant sensitivity and herbicide efficacy, the influence of the surrounding vegetation on individual plant sensitivity and of sublethal herbicide doses on the biomass, recovery and reproduction of non-crop plants was studied. Results show that in the future, it might well be possible to translate results from greenhouse experiments to field situations, given sufficient experimental data. The results also suggest consequences at the population level. Even when only marginal effects on the biomass of non-target plants are expected, their seed production and thereby survival at the population level may be negatively affected. The response of greenhouse-grown wild plant species to herbicide exposure could be related to the response of the same species when grown in the field.