https://ecotoxbrasil.org.br/revista/28/ecotoxicology-and-environmental-contamination/

Glyphosate is an active ingredient used in herbicide formulations worldwide. However, besides glyphosate, these formulations have other components to facilitate glyphosate absorption by plants. These include the surfactants such as polyoxyethylene amine (POEA) present in the Roundup Transorb® (RT) formulation. Glyphosate formulations are potentially more toxic to non-target organisms than the pure active ingredient. In this work, we evaluated the toxicity (72 h) of pure glyphosate and RT for the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus, based on biomass growth and cell viability. The formulation proved more toxic than pure glyphosate for both parameters analysed, with an IC50 (Inhibition concentration mean) based on biomass measured by optical density (750 nm) that was sixty times lower. Cell viability was not as sensitive as the biomass because, of the few cells left in the culture, most were viable. This indicates that there is a variation in tolerance between the cyanobacteria present in the inoculum. Thus, cell viability may underestimate the results of glyphosate and RT toxicity and be useful only in low concentrations of exposure

Mixtures between glyphosate formulations and ACCase-inhibiting herbicides in the control of Chloris elata

Chloris elata is an important weed for grain and sugarcane crops. In addition to its aggressiveness, it may show resistance to glyphosate herbicide. In this context, the aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of glyphosate formulations, isolated or in association with ACCase inhibitors, in controlling C. elata (putatively resistant to glyphosate) at different developmental stages. Four experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design. Treatments consisted of glyphosate application under different formulations with ACCase inhibitors, isolated or in mixtures. Applications were carried out at the stages of four fully expanded leaves in Experiment I, four tillers in Experiment II, and at regrowth of the four-tiller plants in Experiments III and IV. Applications of glyphosate isopropylamine salt associated with sethoxydim or clethodim showed to be among the best treatments in Experiments I, II, and III, presenting control scores equal to or greater than 90%. However, not even these treatments could provide successful control in Experiment IV. Moreover, and regardless of the formulation, isolated glyphosate, showed 85% (Experiment III) and 50% (Experiment IV) maximum controls. Associations between glyphosate and ACCase-inhibiting herbicides showed to be effective in controlling C. elata, especially at early developmental stages. In general, isolated herbicides provided lower percentages of control, as well as higher values of dry matter. Sole herbicide applications were not effective in controlling C. elata (putatively resistant to glyphosate), regardless of the developmental stage. Highlights: Mixtures between glyphosate and ACCase-inhibiting have been shown to be effective in C. elata control, especially in the early development stages. Isolated herbicide applications were not effective in controlling C. elata, regardless of the development stage. Mixtures between glyphosate and ACCase-inhibiting is more important in the control than the glyphosate formulation or ACCase-inhibiting used.

Nodulation and agronomic performance of soybean grown in different seeding periods and glyphosate formulations

The aimed to evaluate the influence of different glyphosate formulations in nodulation, agronomic performance and RR soybean seeds yield, grown in two sowing periods. The experimental design was the casualized blocks with treats disposed in four replicates, being organized in factorial scheme, two seeding periods x five glyphosate formulations. The measured characters were number of nodules per plant, number of active nodules, number of inactive nodules, height of the first legume insertion, plant height, number of legumes per plant, number of seeds per plant, mass of thousand seeds and yield of seeds per plant. The isopropylamine salt influences nodular activity, number of vegetables and seeds per plant, as well as seed yield. The sowing of soybeans at the recommended time propitiates smaller modifications face to glyphosate formulations. mulations.

Impacts of three glyphosate formulations on gonadal development of Xenopus laevis

The emergence of widespread morphological malformations in the reproductive system of wildlife is generating increasing concerns. This concern is because the observed malformities may be linked to pollution by pesticides and other chemicals. The amphibian declines, for example, have been linked to pesticide pollution among other factors. Using an extended Xenopus Metamorphosis Assay protocol, until the tadpoles metamorphosized, the exposure impacts of three glyphosate formulations, namely, Roundup, Kilo Max and Enviro Glyphosate, were assessed on the reproductive system of Xenopus laevis, vis-a-vis the body mass, sex ratios and morphological malformations as endpoints. The exposure concentrations ranged between 0.2–0.6 mg/L, 0.9–28 mg/L and 90–280 mg/L for Roundup, Enviro Glyphosate, and Kilo Max, respectively. Both Kilo Max and Enviro Glyphosate formulations significantly reduced the body mass of the metamorphs compared to the control. In sex ratios, only Kilo Max altered the percentage sex ratio of the treated frogs at a ratio of 68:32 (F:M) compared to 50:50 ratio in the control. In reproductive malformations, the three formulations showed abnormality index range of 22.3–49%, 17.5–37.5% and 20–30% for the Kilo Max, Enviro Glyphosate and Roundup formulations, respectively, compared to 7.5% in the control. Observed reproductive malformations include mixed sex, translucence, aplasia, segmented hypertrophy and segmented aplasia and translucence. This result indicates that some of the glyphosate formulations have the capacity to cause widespread reproductive malformations in a way that could reduce the reproductive fitness of the amphibian. Care must therefore be taken to reduce the application rate of these formulations, particularly in aquatic environments.

Influence of Glyphosate Formulations on the Behavior of Sulfentrazone in Soil in Mixed Applications

The selection of weed biotypes that are resistant to glyphosate has increased the demand for its use mixed with other herbicides, such as sulfentrazone. However, when chemical molecules are mixed, interactions may occur, modifying the behavior of these molecules in the environment, such as the sorption and desorption in soil. In this study, we hypothesized that the presence of glyphosate-formulated products might increase the sorption or decrease the desorption of sulfentrazone, thereby increasing the risk of the contamination of water resources. Therefore, our work aimed to evaluate the sorption, desorption, and leaching of sulfentrazone in the soil in an isolated and mixed application with different glyphosate formulations. The sorption coefficients (Kfs) for the sulfentrazone, sulfentrazone + Roundup Ready, sulfentrazone + Roundup Ultra, and sulfentrazone + Zapp Qi foram were 1.3, 2.1, 2.3, and 1.9, respectively. The desorption coefficients (Kfd) for the sulfentrazone, sulfentrazone + Roundup Ready, sulfentrazone + Roundup Ultra, and sulfentrazone + Zapp Qi foram were 65.7, 125.2, 733.3 and 239.8, respectively. The experiments demonstrated that the sorption and desorption of sulfentrazone in combination with the other formulated glyphosate products are altered, supporting the hypothesis suggested by this work, i.e., that the presence of other molecules is a factor that affects the behavior of herbicides in the soil. This phenomenon altered the vertical mobility of sulfentrazone. Situations involving mixtures of pesticides should be evaluated in order to improve our understanding of the dynamics of these molecules and thus avoid environmental contamination.

Adsorption mechanisms of atrazine isolated and mixed with glyphosate formulations in soil

In Brazil, the atrazine has been applied frequently to join with glyphosate to control resistant biotypes and weed tolerant species to glyphosate. However, there are no studies about atrazine's behavior in soil when applied in admixture with glyphosate. Knowledge of atrazine's sorption and desorption mixed with glyphosate is necessary because the lower sorption and higher desorption may increase the leaching and runoff of pesticides, reaching groundwaters and rivers. Thereby, the objective of this study was to evaluate the adsorption mechanisms of atrazine when isolated and mixed with glyphosate formulations in a Red-Yellow Latosol. The maximum adsorbed amount of atrazine in equilibrium (qe) was not altered due to glyphosate formulations. The time to reach equilibrium was shortest when atrazine was mixed with the Roundup Ready® (te = 4.3 hours) due to the higher adsorption velocity (k2 = 2.3 mg min-1) in the soil. The highest sorption of atrazine occurred when mixed with the Roundup WG®, with the Freundlich sorption coefficient (Kf) equal to 2.51 and 2.43 for both formulation concentrations. However, other glyphosate formulations did not affect the sorption of atrazine. The desorption of atrazine was high for all treatments, with values close to 80% of the initial adsorbed amount, without differences among isolated and mixed treatments. The change in the velocity and capacity of sorption for the atrazine mixed with some glyphosate formulations indicates that further studies should be conducted to identify the mechanisms involved in this process.

PERFORMANCE OF SOYBEANS WITH THE APPLICATION OF GLYPHOSATE FORMULATIONS IN BIOSTIMULANT ASSOCIATION

ABSTRACT Glyphosate is the main herbicide used in the Roundup Ready® (RR®) soybean crop. However, the different salt and herbicide formulations available on the market can lead to crop intoxication. In this scenario, biostimulants appear as a promising alternative to mitigate the possible phytotoxic effects of glyphosate. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of different MC Extra® biostimulant doses associated with glyphosate formulations on the agronomic characteristics of a herbicide-tolerant soybean cultivar. Two experiments were conducted in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons with three doses of MC Extra® (0.35, 0.70, and 1.00 kg ha-1) associated with six formulations of glyphosate: Glyphotal®, Roundup Original®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup WG®, Roundup Transorb®, and Zapp QI®, plus additional treatment without the use of the herbicide. In both experiments, we used 900 g e.a. ha-1 of glyphosate. The results showed that the highest dose of MC Extra®, in combination with the Roundup Original®, Roundup Ready®, and Roundup Transorb® formulations and 0,70 kg ha-1 of MC Extra® with Glyphotal® provided the highest grain yields. When used in conjunction with the herbicide, there is a need to increase the dose of MC Extra® to obtain higher soybean yields.

Estimation of sulfentrazone sorption in isolated application and mixed with glyphosate

The use of herbicides belonging to a single mechanism of action for several consecutive years in the same area may lead to the selection of weed biotypes resistant to herbicides. Weeds resistant to glyphosate have been problem worldwide. As an alternative control, farmers have used glyphosate mixed with sulfentrazone. When two herbicides are mixed, the parameters that govern the behaviour of herbicides in the soil can be altered. In this study, the sorption of sulfentrazone was estimated when applied in isolation with glyphosate formulations. For this, increasing doses of sulfentrazone were applied using Red-Yellow Latosol substrate and washed sand. Each dose of sulfentrazone was applied in a mixture with 1080 g a. e. ha-1 Roundup Ready®, Roundup Ultra® and Zapp Qi®. To evaluate the presence of sulfentrazone in the soil solution, Sorghum bicolor was used as an indicator species. Symptoms of intoxication were evaluated at 7, 14 and 21 days after sowing. At 21 days after sowing, the plants were collected and dried in an oven at 70 ± 10 °C to determine the dry matter. Based on the intoxication of the indicator plants, it was verified that, regardless of the formulation, the presence of glyphosate in the mixture increased the sorption of sulfentrazone in the Red-Yellow Latosol. However, based on dry matter accumulation, sulfentrazone sorption increased because of the mixture with Roundup Ultra®, but decreased due to the presence of Roundup Ready® and Zapp Qi®. Therefore, the application of sulfentrazone in mixture with glyphosate alters the sorptive forces of sulfentrazone in a Red-Yellow Latosol.