Some effects of the herbicide EL‐107 on cellular growth and metabolism

Summary Effects of the herbicide EL‐107 ( N ‐[3‐(1‐ethyl‐1‐methylpropyl)‐5‐isoxazolyl]‐2,6‐dimethoxy‐benzamide) on the growth of dicotyledonous plants are described. The herbicide did not inhibit germination but reduced the growth of rape ( Brassica napus L.) by half at 0.0057 mg l −1 . The most characteristic symptom induced was a swelling of the apical regions, and histological observations of root tips of Polygonum persicaria and rape revealed a progressve disappearance of the meristematic zone, which was replaced by enlarged cells almost devoid of cytoplasm. Growth of cells of Acer pseudoplatanus L. and soybean ( Glycine max L.) cultured in suspension was also inhibited by EL‐107, which induced a characteristic change in the cell morphology to an enlarged, rounded shape. EL‐107 apparently did not block cell division; at a high concentration it produced some inhibition of protein synthesis, but in Acer cells only. In both types of cell cultures it inhibited, to some extent, the incorporation of glucose into cell wall material.