Plant sensitivity to atrazine and chlorsulfuron residues in a soil-free system

Abstract

The sensitivity of 22 major crops, pastures and weeds from the north-east grain region of Australia to atrazine and chlorsulfuron residues was determined in a glasshouse using a soil-free bioassay system. A logistic equation was fitted to the seedling fresh weights as a function of the logarithm of herbicide concentration by non-linear regression and used to calculate the doses for 10%, 30% and 50% inhibition of seedling growth (ID10, ID30 and ID50). The ID50 for atrazine ranged from 0.03 to 0.04 mg a.i. L–1 for Salvia reflexa Hornem. and barley to 1.47 mg a.i. L–1 for sorghum. The ID50 for chlorsulfuron ranged from 0.19 to 0.21 μg a.i. L–1 for lucerne and snail medic to 102 μg a.i. L–1 for wheat. Based on ID50 values measured, the predicted responses of each species to a range of concentrations of atrazine and chlorsulfuron were classified into four categories ranging from no damage to severe damage. These sensitivity data will assist in planning cropping sequences in soils previously treated with atrazine or chlorsulfuron.