Pitted and Hybrid Morningglory Accessions Have Variable Tolerance to Glyphosate

Abstract

Two greenhouse studies were conducted to investigate the variability in tolerance to a sublethal dose of glyphosate among accessions of pitted morningglory, hybrid morningglory (a fertile hybrid between pitted and sharppod morningglory), and sharppod morningglory, collected from several states in the southern United States. The first study was conducted to evaluate the variability in tolerance to glyphosate among accessions. Glyphosate at 420 g ae/ha was applied to plants at the four- to five-leaf stage, and control (percent shoot fresh weight reduction) was determined 2 wk after treatment (WAT). Pitted morningglory response ranged from −9% (indicating no response to glyphosate) to 39% control. A similar trend was observed in hybrid morningglory. Control of two related species, cypressvine morningglory and red morningglory, averaged 40 and 29%, respectively, and was similar to control of the most susceptible pitted morningglory and hybrid morningglory accessions. Ivyleaf morningglory control was 9%. Sharppod morningglory control was highest (48%) among the morningglories studied. A second study was conducted to determine levels of tolerance to glyphosate based onGR50(dose required to cause a 50% reduction in plant growth) in 10 accessions that were least to most sensitive to glyphosate (7 pitted, 2 hybrid, and 1 sharppod morningglory). GlyphosateGR50doses ranged from 0.65 to 1.23 kg/ha, a two-fold variability in tolerance to glyphosate among the 7 pitted morningglory accessions. Increasing levels of tolerance were associated with the absence of a leaf notch. These results indicate the existence of variable tolerance to a sublethal dose of glyphosate among accessions of pitted morningglory.