Morphological and physiological changes on Schizolobium parahyba Var. Amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) Barneby plants intoxicated by glyphosate

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological and physiological changes in paricá plants (Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum) intoxicated by glyphosate. The experiment was conducted in a protected environment using paricá plants during their planting stage, which were intoxicated with increasing doses of glyphosate: 0 (control); 43.2; 86.2; 129.6 and 172.8 g.ha-1. At 7 and 21 days after the application of the herbicide, the photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance and leaf temperature were measured. The visual intoxication degree and the growth of the shoot and the root of the plants were evaluated 21 days after the application. Paricá shows symptoms of visual intoxication characterized by chlorosis/winding, evolving to necrosis/abscission of the youngest leaflets. The growth of the stem and the roots of the intoxicated plants is preserved; however, an expressive leaf loss occurs, and paricá may have adaptation mechanisms to tolerate the action of the herbicide molecule. The photosynthesis decrease promoted by an indirect action of glyphosate represents the main reduction on the growth of plants. The decrease on the stomatal conductance, which was the most sensitive physiological variable to glyphosate, resulted in lower transpiration rates, which, consequently, caused increases on the leaf temperature.