Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2008, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (2): 408-412.DOI: 10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2008.02.019

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

EFFECTS OF HERBICIDE BENSULFURON-METHYL ON GAMETOPHYTE DEVELOPMENT AND SEX ORGAN DIFFERENTIATION IN CERATOPTERIS PTERIDOIDES

TAO Ling1,2(), YIN Li-Yan1, LI Wei1,*()   

  1. 1Laboratory of Aquatic Plant Biology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    2Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2007-03-22 Accepted:2007-08-02 Online:2008-03-22 Published:2008-03-30
  • Contact: TAO Ling,LI Wei

Abstract:

Aims Herbicides applied to rice fields may contaminate nearby aquatic systems through a variety of mechanisms, including drift, surface runoff and leaching, and may have adverse effects on non-target aquatic plants that play a major role in the aquatic ecosystem. The second category of the key protected wild plant, Ceratopteris pteridoides, is frequently observed in paddy fields and adjacent lakes and ponds. Its sexual reproduction phase coincides with herbicide application; therefore, its gametophytes are likely exposed to rice herbicides. The objective of this study is to assess the ecological hazard of herbicide contamination on this aquatic plant.
Methods We cultured spores of C. pteridoides in aqueous solutions of different bensulfuron-methyl concentrations and observed gametophyte growth and sex organ differentiation.
Important findings Bensulfuron-methyl had no effect on spore germination of C. pteridoides. However, it inhibited gametophyte growth with the EC50 of 0.086 μg·L-1, which was below the reported environment concentration. Bensulfuron-methyl reduced the ratio of hermaphrodite gametophyte and delayed archegonium differentiation of C. pteridoides with the increase in concentration. When bensulfuron-methyl concentration was 10 μg·L-1, gametophytes ceased growth and did not form archegonia. Therefore, bensulfuron-methyl inhibits gametophyte growth and sex organ differentiation of C. pteridoides at low concentration and may pose a risk to sexual reproduction of C. pteridoides in the field.

Key words: herbicide, bensulfuron-methyl, Ceratopteris pteridoides, sexual reproduction