Indicators species of saflufenacil residue in soils

Abstract

One of the methods, efficient and low cost, to estimate the presence of herbicides in the soil is the biological. However, before using this method it is necessary to identify species that have high sensitivity to the herbicide under controlled conditions. This research aimed to select species that show high sensitivity to saflufenacil for later studies of the dynamics of this herbicide in soil. The sensitivity of seven plants species to saflufenacil (Curcubita pepo, Beta vulgaris, Daucus carota, Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis sativus, Sorghum bicolor and Solanum lycopersicum) were evaluated. For this, these species were cultivated on an inert substrate (washed sand) treated with increasing doses of saflufenacil (0.0, 0.625, 1.25, 2.50, 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 g ha-1). The species B. vulgaris, S. lycopersicum and S. bicolor were the most sensitive to saflufenacil. Among these species, B. vulgaris is easy to grow, fast growing and allows rapid visualization of the symptoms of intoxication. It was concluded that B. vulgaris can be considered as an indicator of the presence of saflufenacil in the soil solution to study the dynamics of this herbicide in soils.