Phytotoxicity of Herbicides in Seedlings of Sweet Passion Fruit

Abstract

The culture of sweet passion fruit has been increasingly studied and exploited commercially in Brazil, with emphasis on the State of São Paulo. This is due to the high value achieved in the market of fresh fruit and be considered a food with functional properties beneficial to human health. However, the cultivation on a large scale finds some obstacles, as the control of weeds with the use of herbicides. In this sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate the phytotoxicity of seven herbicides with different mechanisms of action in seedlings of sweet passion fruit. Different variables were assessed: initial plant height (IPH) and final plant height (FPH); initial number of sheets (INS) and end number of sheets (ENS); intoxication of plants (INTO); fresh leaf mass (FLM) and dry leaf mass (DLM); fresh stem mass (FSM); dry steam mass (DSM); fresh root mass (FRM) and dry root mass (DRM) and total dry mass (TDM). Chlorimuron-ethyl (ALS inhibitor), glyphosate (EPSP synthase inhibitor), paraquat (photosystem I inhibitor) and atrazine (photosystem II inhibitor) have the higher effect on the variables analyzed, and they caused some kind of intoxication in the plants of sweet passion fruit. Conversely, haloxyfop-p-methyl (ACCase inhibitor) and fomesafen (protox inhibitor) showed a lesser effect on the sweet passion fruit plants.