Global Plant Protection News

Sunday, 09 April 2023 10:11:00

Grahame Jackson posted a new submission ‘Residues of glyphosate-based herbicides in soil found to negatively affect plant-beneficial microbes ‘

Submission

Residues of glyphosate-based herbicides in soil found to negatively affect plant-beneficial microbes

Phys.Org

by University of Turku
Researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, found that even very low levels of glyphosate-based herbicide residues have a negative effect on endophytic microbes associated with garden strawberry.

In a field study, researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, followed the standard agricultural practices of herbicide application and investigated the impact of glyphosate residues in soil on the endophytic microbial communities of garden strawberry. The findings were published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.

Samples collected from strawberry plants that had been growing in the experimental field showed that even though the overall composition of a microbial community and the growth of garden strawberries were unaffected, certain endophytic microbes known for their plant-beneficial functions were relatively less abundant in the strawberry plants that had been exposed to herbicide residues in soil.

“These plant-beneficial microbes are endophytic meaning that they live within leaves and roots of plants. They include bacteria, and fungi, and they form microbial communities within plants. These microbial communities promote nutrition, disease resistance and stress tolerance of their host plants. So, these endophytic microbes are essential partners of plants, as plants depend on them for health and survival,” explains Dr. Suni Mathew from the University of Turku Department of Biology.

Read on: https://phys.org/news/2023-04-residues-glyphosate-based-herbicides-soil-negatively.html