Optimizing Glyphosate Efficacy and dose Reduction with Adjuvants for Ground Cherry (Physalis divaricata L.) Control
摘要
Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide globally, but growing, health and environmental concernshave increased pressure to reduce its use. The experiments conducted in a greenhouse examined the effects of four adjuvants, coconut fatty acid diethanolamide (CDEA), sodium salt of fatty acids of coconut oil (SSFC), ammonium sulfate (AMS), and AMS + CDEA, on glyphosate effectiveness for controlling Physalis divaricata, an invasive weed species naturally tolerant to multiple herbicides. Dose-response experiments were conducted twice using seven glyphosate doses ranging from 0 up to 8200 g a.i. ha−1, with and without the adjuvants. Even at a dosage lower than 4100 g a.i. ha−1, glyphosate alone provided over 90% control of P. divaricata. The addition of adjuvants to glyphosate solutions enhanced its performance, allowing for lower doses to be used. AMS and AMS + CDEA mixture reduced ED50 and ED90 (effective doses reducing plant response by 50 and 90%, respectively) of glyphosate by up to tenfold compared to glyphosate alone. Treatments containing AMS were better than the others, as AMS alone resulted in the lowest biomass, and AMS + CDEA caused the highest mortality. SSFC was less effective than AMS, CDEA, and AMS + CDEA. SSFC and AMS-containing treatments were also phytotoxic in the absence of glyphosate, strongly inhibiting biomass (ranging from 13 to 43%) but not affecting P. divaricata mortality. Further studies are needed to clarify how these adjuvants enhance glyphosate efficacy and determine their utility on a broader range of weed species and under diverse environmental conditions.