Selective herbicide control: using furrows and carbon seed coatings to establish a native bunchgrass while reducing cheatgrass cover

Introduction: The constant impact on the environment occasioned by pollution, indiscriminate application of agricultural chemicals, security challenges and crisis in the Niger Delta ecological area of Nigeria has caused severe damage to plants, soil organisms and humans. Aim and Methodology: In this research, onions (Allium cepa L) was exposed to varying concentrations of an atrazine-based selective herbicide Arda-force® to estimate the phyto-toxic effects on the plant species using the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, (OECD) protocol #208. Results: The mean effective concentration (EC50) using root growth inhibition produced indications of phyto-toxicity to the exposed species at a concentration of 0.55 ± 0.06 mg/L. Similarly, the maximum root growth inhibition efficiency relative to the control was 65% as recorded in the highest test concentration of 1.25 mg/L. Discussion: The study indicated that constant application / indiscriminate use of the herbicide Arda-force® could cause deleterious influence on these plant and vegetable species, daily consumed by humans as a rich source of anti-oxidants. Conclusion: This study concluded that atrazine-based herbicide Arda-force® used in this assessment resulted in phyto-toxic effects to Allium cepa L. At the exposed concentrations of the herbicide to non-target specie – Allium cepa L. that are integral parts of the ecosystems, the ‘‘harmless’’ status of atrazine acclaimed by the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is still very much in doubt.

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Development and preliminary field testing of a glufosinate-ammonium tolerant transgenic flax

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps95-019 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 75 (1) ◽

pp. 117-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Alan McHughen ◽

F. A. Holm

Keyword(s):

Field Trial ◽

Agronomic Traits ◽

Herbicide Tolerance ◽

Field Testing ◽

Glufosinate Ammonium ◽

Pat Gene ◽

Linum Usitatissimum L ◽

Optimal Productivity ◽

Transgenic Flax ◽

Selective Herbicide

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is a poor biological competitor and so requires chemical weed control for optimal productivity. An alternative to current, relatively expensive combinations of herbicides might be to introduce into a commercial flax genotype, using Agrobacterium mediated transformation, a gene conferring tolerance to a non-selective herbicide. Here, we describe the transformation of Norlin flax with a PAT (phosphinothricin acetyl transferase) gene conferring tolerance to glufosinate, a non-selective herbicide (Harvest™, Ignite™, Agrevo). We also present results from a preliminary field trial, showing the efficacy of the PAT gene in conferring tolerance while not dramatically altering the normal agronomic traits of the parent cultivar. Key words:Linum usitatissimum, flax, transgenic, glufosinate, phosphinothricin, field trial, herbicide tolerance

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