Effect of elevated carbon dioxide concentration on growth, productivity and glyphosate response of parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.).

BACKGROUND: The rise in atmospheric CO2 has huge impacts on the biology and management of invasive weed species such as Parthenium hysterophorus. This study evaluated the effect of ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (700 ppm) CO2 concentrations on P. hysterophorus growth, reproductive output and response to glyphosate applied at several doses including the recommended dose (800 g a.e. ha-1 ). RESULTS: The plants in control treatment (no herbicide) grew taller (41%), produced a larger number of leaves (13%) and flowers (39%), and higher dry biomass (34%) at elevated CO2 as compared to the ambient CO2 . Glyphosate caused significant reduction in chlorophyll content of P. hysterophorus plants grown at both CO2 concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. The percentage herbicide injury was relatively less at elevated CO2 as compared to the ambient CO2 at 7 and 14 days after glyphosate application but it was almost similar at 21 days after application. This shows that elevated CO2 might have slowed the translocation of glyphosate initially, but most plants were killed eventually close to 21 days after application. The survival rate was higher under elevated as compared to the ambient CO2 at recommended and lower doses of glyphosate. There was a negligible difference between the two CO2 concentrations for the plant dry biomass reduction over the control treatment. CONCLUSIONS: P. hysterophorus growth and reproductive potential (indicated by number of flowers) improved significantly by CO2 enrichment but there was little effect on the overall efficacy of glyphosate applied to control this species. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Crop Production under Drought and Heat Stress: Plant Responses and Management Options.

Abiotic stresses are one of the major constraints to crop production and food security worldwide. The situation has aggravated due to the drastic and rapid changes in global climate. Heat and drought are undoubtedly the two most important stresses having huge impact on growth and productivity of the crops. It is very important to understand the physiological, biochemical, and ecological interventions related to these stresses for better management. A wide range of plant responses to these stresses could be generalized into morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses. Interestingly, this review provides a detailed account of plant responses to heat and drought stresses with special focus on highlighting the commonalities and differences. Crop growth and yields are negatively affected by sub-optimal water supply and abnormal temperatures due to physical damages, physiological disruptions, and biochemical changes. Both these stresses have multi-lateral impacts and therefore, complex in mechanistic action. A better understanding of plant responses to these stresses has pragmatic implication for remedies and management. A comprehensive account of conventional as well as modern approaches to deal with heat and drought stresses have also been presented here. A side-by-side critical discussion on salient responses and management strategies for these two important abiotic stresses provides a unique insight into the phenomena. A holistic approach taking into account the different management options to deal with heat and drought stress simultaneously could be a win-win approach in future.