Abstract
BACKGROUND: Glyphosate blocks the shikimic acid pathway, inhibiting the production of aromatic amino acids and several secondary compounds derived from these amino acids. Non-target plants can be exposed to low doses of glyphosate by herbicide drift of spray droplets and contact with treated weeds. Previous studies have reported that low doses of glyphosate stimulate growth, although these data are very limited. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of low glyphosate doses on growth of a range of plant species. RESULTS: Growth of maize, conventional soybean, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden, Pinus caribea L. and Commelia benghalensis L. was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1). Growth of glyphosate-resistant soybean was unaffected by any glyphosate dose from 1.8 to 720 g AE ha(-1). The optimum doses for growth stimulation were distinct for plant species and tissue evaluated. The greatest stimulation of growth was observed for C. benghalensis and P. caribea. Shikimic acid levels in tissues of glyphosate-treated soybean and maize were measured and found to be elevated at growth-stimulating doses. CONCLUSION: Subtoxic doses of glyphosate stimulate the growth of a range of plant species, as measured in several plant organs. This hormesis effect is likely to be related to the molecular target of glyphosate, since the effect was not seen in glyphosate-resistant plants, and shikimate levels were enhanced in plants with stimulated growth.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Maize growth was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Growth of maize, conventional soybean, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden, Pinus caribea L. and Commelia benghalensis L. was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional soybean growth was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“Growth of maize, conventional soybean, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden, Pinus caribea L. and Commelia benghalensis L. was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Eucalyptus grandis growth was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden
Eucalyptus grandise1 - Treatment
- 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)e1
- Outcome
- Growthe1
- Direction
- enhancede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Growth of maize, conventional soybean, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden, Pinus caribea L. and Commelia benghalensis L. was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Pinus caribea growth was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“Growth of maize, conventional soybean, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden, Pinus caribea L. and Commelia benghalensis L. was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Commelia benghalensis growth was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)
- Taxon
- Commelia benghalensis L.e1
- Treatment
- 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)e1
- Outcome
- Growthe1
- Direction
- enhancede1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“Growth of maize, conventional soybean, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden, Pinus caribea L. and Commelia benghalensis L. was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Growth of glyphosate-resistant soybean was unaffected by any glyphosate dose from 1.8 to 720 g AE ha(-1)
- Taxon
- glyphosate-resistant soybeane2
- Treatment
- any glyphosate dose from 1.8 to 720 g AE ha(-1)e2
- Outcome
- Growthe2
- Direction
- unaffectede2
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e2“Growth of glyphosate-resistant soybean was unaffected by any glyphosate dose from 1.8 to 720 g AE ha(-1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Shikimic acid levels in glyphosate-treated soybean were elevated at growth-stimulating doses
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe3 - Treatment
- growth-stimulating dosese3
- Outcome
- Shikimic acid levelse3
- Direction
- elevatede3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“Shikimic acid levels in tissues of glyphosate-treated soybean and maize were measured and found to be elevated at growth-stimulating doses”
Claim · model-written summary
Shikimic acid levels in glyphosate-treated maize were elevated at growth-stimulating doses
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“Shikimic acid levels in tissues of glyphosate-treated soybean and maize were measured and found to be elevated at growth-stimulating doses”
Claim · model-written summary
The greatest growth stimulation was observed in Commelia benghalensis
Verbatim
e4“The greatest stimulation of growth was observed for C. benghalensis and P. caribea”
Claim · model-written summary
The greatest growth stimulation was observed in Pinus caribea
Verbatim
e4“The greatest stimulation of growth was observed for C. benghalensis and P. caribea”
Claim · model-written summary
Optimum glyphosate doses for growth stimulation differed among plant species and tissues
Verbatim
e5“The optimum doses for growth stimulation were distinct for plant species and tissue evaluated”
Claim · model-written summary
The hormesis effect is likely related to the molecular target of glyphosate
Verbatim
e6“This hormesis effect is likely to be related to the molecular target of glyphosate”
e7“Subtoxic doses of glyphosate stimulate the growth of a range of plant species”
The same questions in other papers
glyphosate · growth · Zea mays (maize)Results differ
11 papers in the same direction as this paper · 13 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
21 papers more in this group
See all 25 papers →glyphosate · growth · Glycine max (soybean)Results differ
17 papers in the same direction as this paper · 22 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
36 papers more in this group
See all 40 papers →glyphosate · growth · Eucalyptus grandis (rose gum)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.