Effect of splitting the sub-lethal dose of glyphosate on plant growth shikimate pathway-related metabolites and antioxidant status in faba beans

Abstract

Abstract Glyphosate exerts its herbicidal activity by inhibiting the shikimate pathway, the main source of many primary and secondary metabolites. Application of a low dose of glyphosate to faba bean plants was effective in controlling Orobanche crenata infestation, but some toxic effects on host plants can occur. Splitting the low glyphosate dose can serve as a mitigation strategy to reduce the host toxicity. Under parasitic-free conditions, a greenhouse experiment was conducted during two seasons to study the effect of dividing the recommended glyphosate dose (170 g a.i. ha-1) into two-five sprays on the growth, shikimate-related metabolites, and antioxidant status of three faba bean varieties. After 40 days, splitting treatments tended to cause cumulative inhibition effects on the growth and productivity traits of faba beans depending on the tested varieties, seasons, and the number of sprays applied. The maximum reduction effect was noticed for twice- sprayed treatment in the first season and for five-sprayed treatment in the second one. The cumulative effect of splitting glyphosate treatments on the shikimate pathway metabolites and the antioxidant status was measured after a week of spraying. Splitting treatments induced great increases in shikimic acid and phenylalanine contents compared with control. These treatments continued to exert their oxidative stress on faba bean plants by reducing antioxidant activity and antioxidant compounds such as total phenolics, flavonoids, and the detected phenolic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic, syringic, vanillic, coumaric, and ferulic). A significant increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase) was recorded for all splitting treatments.