Inhibitory effects of the herbicide trifluralin on the establishment of the clover root nodule symbiosis.
Trifluralin, a widely used herbicide (Rahman, 1977), may act via interaction with plant microtubule protein (Hess and Bayer, 1974, 1977). In trifluralin treated seedlings of Trifolium repens, root tips increased in diameter and decreased in length, cell elongation was decreased, cell wall deposition was abnormal, root hairs were deformed, and a marked reduction was seen in the number of infection threads induced by the bacterial symbionts. Our observations support the hypothesis that trifluralin (at low concentrations, from 2 x 10(-6) M) interferes with microtubule-based morphogenetic processes in developing seedlings and adversely affects the establishment of the bacteria-legume symbiosis.
D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000382:microbiology; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D014052:Toluidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014274:Trifluralin / Q000494:pharmacology*
D014052:Toluidines; D014274:Trifluralin