POTATO (SOLANUM TUBEROSUM) GREENHOUSE TUBER PRODUCTION AS AN ASSAY FOR ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION EFFECTS FROM HERBICIDES

The present study determined whether young potato plants can be used as an assay to indicate potential effects of pesticides on asexual reproduction. Solanum tuberosum (Russet Burbank) plants were grown from seed pieces in a mineral soil in pots under greenhouse conditions. Plants were treated with herbicides (cloransulam, dicamba, glyphosate, imazapyr, primsulfuron, sulfometuron, or tribenuron) at simulated drift levels [<= 0.1 x standard field application rates (f.a.r.)], approximately 14 d after emergence (DAE). Plant height was measured approximately 14 d after treatment (DAT). Production of small tubers and shoot dry weight were determined at approximately 28 DAT. Imazapyr, sulfometuron, and tribenuron caused significant reductions in tuber fresh weight, with the effective concentrations producing a 25% potato tuber fresh weight (EC25) of 0.00038, 0.0016, and 0.0021 x f.a.r. of 1,124, 52, and 9 g active ingredient hectare(-1) (g a.i. HA(-1)), respectively. Primisulfuron, dicamba, and cloransulam also significantly reduced tuber fresh weight, but with higher EC25 values of 0.011, 0.07, and 0.010 to 0.2 x f.a.r. of 40, 558, and 18 g a.i. HA(-1), respectively. Glyphosate had little effect on tuber fresh weight, with a significant reduction in only one experiment. Sulfometuron reduced tuber fresh weight at an EC25 value lower than the EC25 values for shoot dry weight or plant height. For other herbicides, the reduction in tuber fresh weight occurred within the range of EC25 values for other responses. Although additional experiments are required to develop further a phytotoxicity test, these results indicated that tuber production in young potato plants (harvested approximately 42 DAE) may be an effective assay for below-ground asexual reproductive responses to herbicides, especially acetolactate synthase inhibitors. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010; 29: 111-121. (C) 2009 SETAC