The Effect of Glyphosate on Anatomical and Physiological Features of Alfalfa Infested with Field Dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.)

Abstract

Field dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) is a very harmfulparasitic weed species worldwide which infests many crops,including alfalfa as a foremost forage crop. Glyphosate has beenan effective herbicide for field dodder control even though sideeffects occasionally occur in alfalfa plants. To find out andquantify the effects of glyphosate (288 and 360 g a.i. ha-1) on fielddodder control, alfalfa forage yield, and physiological andanatomical features of alfalfa plants under controlled conditionswere aims of the study. Physiologic (chlorophyll a, chlorophyllb, total carotenoids); and anatomic parameters were measured.Leaf anatomic parameters were thicknesses of upper epidermis,palisade and spongy tissues, mesophyll and underside leafepidermis, and diameter of bundle sheath cells. Stem anatomicparameters were thicknesses of epidermis and cortex, anddiameters of stem and central cylinder (pith). Both rates ofglyphosate caused recovery of the harmful effects of field dodderon alfalfa, which shows that glyphosate can control field dodderat early stages of infestation on alfalfa.