Effects of herbicides on non-target plant species diversity and the community composition of fallow fields in northern China

Abstract

Despite the important ecological and agricultural production value of fallow field vegetation in agricultural landscapes, it is often affected by herbicide drift and runoff from neighboring sprayed fields. However, little is known about the impact of herbicides on the non-target plant community of fallow fields. In this study, the plant community of fallow fields was investigated following annual sublethal exposure to atrazine or tribenuron-methyl by a 3-year (2014-2016) randomized block field study. The two herbicides both changed the species composition, reduced the number of plant species and the relative frequencies of some plants, and significantly reduced the Margalef species richness index and Shannon's diversity index of the plant community in the fallow field. The effects of the two herbicides on species number and community composition were not consistent. The effects of herbicide doses less than the recommended field application concentration (RFAC) on the plant community composition and community diversity of the fallow field were not lower than the effects of the RFAC of the herbicides. Indeed, doses less than the RFAC had an even greater impact on the community diversity than the RFAC of the herbicides. As the number of years of herbicide application increased, the effects of the herbicides on the plant community diversity did not increase compared to the effects of the blank control, and the herbicides did not change the functional composition of the plant communities in the fallow field. Our results suggest that the ecological risks of herbicides, even at low concentrations, on non-target wild plant communities in agricultural landscapes should not be neglected in the development of practical plant diversity conservation strategies.

Improved efficiency of an herbicide combining bentazone and terbuthylazine – can weeds be controlled with better environmental safety?

“…Overall, potential of herbicide resistance for different application rates, as well as herbicide combinations, should be carefully analysed prior to commercialization to optimize the overall efficacy and reduce the risks to non-target ora and fauna. [67][68][69][70] Current ndings highlight the promising applicability of the approach used to improve environmental safety of herbicides at design stages concomitantly considering the efficacy towards target species. Still, it would be important to further test the efficacy of environmentally safer alternative application rates found under eld conditions.…”

“…Overall, potential of herbicide resistance for different application rates, as well as herbicide combinations, should be carefully analysed prior to commercialization to optimize the overall efficacy and reduce the risks to non-target flora and fauna. 67–70…”

Aspects, problems and utilization of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) application as bio-fertilizer in sustainable agriculture

“…The effects also vary with timing of application of fertilizer or fungicides. Most pesticides or herbicides have neutral, near neutral or positive effect on AM at reduced doses ( Hage-Ahmed et al., 2019 ; Qi et al., 2020 ), which is surely a facility to utilize. AM strains from low phosphate zone are more sensitive to high P–fertilization or P-rich agricultural land and become pathogenic or parasite.…”

A chemical and bio‐herbicide mixture increased exotic invaders, both targeted and non‐targeted, across a diversely invaded landscape after fire

“…Management actions may also affect plant species diversity. Studies have varied in reporting both increased (e.g., Masters et al, 1996; DiTomaso et al, 1997) or reduced (e.g., Hyvönen & Salomen, 2002; Qi et al, 2020) plant species diversity following herbicide application. Some herbicides also harm ecologically critical non‐target organisms in higher trophic levels such as pollinators, earthworms, or soil microorganisms (Black et al, 2011; Pelosi et al, 2014; Thiour‐Mauprivez et al, 2019).…”