Revista Brasileira De Herbicidas 2001; 2(3): 133-142

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Effect of seed size on dry bean tolerance to s-metolachlor under low temperature conditions

DOI: 10.7824/rbh.v2i3.362

The objective of the work was evaluate the potential phytotoxic effects of s-metolachlor herbicide on different sizes of seeds of a single bean variety cultivar belonging to a same lot, in low temperature conditions. The experiment was carried out in a growth chamber with 12 hours photofase, 16/13 ± 3°C (day/night) temperature (until plant emergence) and 300 umol of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)/m2 s. The cultivar used was Pérola, belonging to the Carioca group. The treatments included the combination of three seed sizes (sieves 14, 18 and 21) and four s-metolachlor doses (0.00, 0.96, 2.88 and 4.80 kg/ha), totalling 12 treatments. The herbicide was applied preemergence, the following evaluations being carried out: 1) time (days) until the emergence of 75% of the seedlings; 2) number of emerged plant in the crop; 3) visual toxicity; 4) final plant height; 5) final dry matter of the aerial part; and 6) final dry matter of the roots. The larger the seed size the most retarded was the emergence of the bean plant. The seed sizes together with the s-metolachlor levels did not interfere in the number of emerged plants. The increase in the s-metolachlor doses caused higher reduction in the dry matter of the aerial part of the bean plants than the roots, for ali the seeds sizes. Plants from larger seeds presented high herbicide toxicity levels, reaching 71% of symptoms at the highest s-metolachlor dose (4,80 kg/ha) and largest seed size (sieve 21), though no dry matter reduction was observed.