Morphological responses of different eucalypt clones submitted to glyphosate drift

This work aimed to evaluate the effects of simulated glyphosate drift on leaf growth and micromorphology of Eucalyptus spp. clones, using subdoses. A factorial scheme consisting of three clones, Eucalyptus urophylla, E. grandis and the hybrid E. urophylla x E. grandis (E. urograndis) and five sub-rates (0; 43.2; 86.4; 172.8 and 345.6 g e.a. ha(-1) of glyphosate) were used in a randomized block design, with four repetitions. The herbicide was applied on the plants so as not to reach the superior third, 23 days after seedling planting. At 7 and 15 days after application (DAA), the leaves collected from the first basal branch of the plants were processed according to the conventional methodology used for micromorphological studies. The effects of glyphosate drift were proportional to the rates tested, with E. urophylla being more tolerant to the herbicide than E. grandis and E. urograndis. Glyphosate symptoms were the same for the different clones tested, being characterized by wilting, chlorosis and leaf curling, and, at higher rates, by necrosis, foliar senescence and death of the eucalypt plants. Plants submitted to 172.8 and 345.6 g ha(-1) of glyphosate had severe injuries in the aerial part, affecting their development, resulting in reduced height, stem diameter and dry mass at 50 DAA. The micromorphological damages occurred prior to the appearance of visible symptoms, with erosion of the epicuticular waxes and fungal hypha infestation in plants exposed to glyphosate drift being observed in the three clones. No marked difference in leaf micromorphology was observed that could explain the differential tolerance among the three clones studied. The results show that further studies on wax and cuticle constitution of Eucalyptus spp. are needed for the elucidation of the mechanisms of differential tolerance of eucalypt species and clones to glyphosate. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.