Behaviour of the herbicide EL‐107 in wheat and rape grown under controlled conditions

Abstract

Summary The behaviour of 14 C‐EL‐107 has been evaluated in winter wheat and rape, which are tolerant and susceptible, respectively, under field conditions. After 10‐ to 13‐days’growth under controlled conditions, seedlings were allowed to absorb the herbicide through the roots. Two experiments were conducted to study the absorption and the metabolism of EL‐107. Absorption was estimated during a 5‐day treatment at the rate of 1–47 μM, and metabolism was studied after a 1‐day treatment at 14.7 μM. The results showed that (i) rape plants absorbed more herbicide than wheat, and translocated less radioactivity into their shoots, and (ii) the metabolism of EL‐107 proceeded actively only in the shoots, where EL‐107 disappeared at similar rates in the two species, giving rise to the same metabolites. In conclusion, the respective degrees of susceptibility of the two species could be partly related to differences in the concentration of the herbicide in the roots, where it can exert its phytotoxic effect.