Seed treatment with salicylic acid in the tolerance of wheat to flumioxazin

Abstract

The seed treatment with safeners may increase the tolerance of crops to herbicides. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of seed treatment with salicylic acid on the tolerance of wheat to flumioxazin. The design was completely randomized, with four replications. The treatments were arranged in a 2 x 6 factorial, where the first factor corresponded to the absence or presence of seed treatment with salicylic acid and the second factor to the doses of flumioxazin (0; 10; 20; 30; 40 and 50 g ha-1 a.i.) in pre-emergence application. The seed treatment with salicylic acid reduced the toxicity of wheat plants to 7, 14 and 35 days after emergence. The number of fertile tillers was not affected by the treatments. Increasing the dose of flumioxazin negatively affected the growth variables evaluated (dry matter of the aerial part, height of fertile tillers and dry matter of spikelets), and the salicylic acid positively influenced the dry matter of the spikelets. The flumioxazin causes intoxication and reduces the growth of wheat. Salicylic acid is an alternative to alleviate the stress caused by the herbicide, increasing the tolerance of the crop.