Determination of physiological effects of linuron and nicosulfuron herbicides on Myriophyllum verticillatum

In this study, the effects of linuron (LIN) and nicosulfuron (NS) herbicides on the photosynthetic pigment and protein contents of Myriophyllum verticillatum, an aquatic plant, were determined. The plants were collected from a natural water bodies in Gaziantep province. Before herbicide applications, the plants were acclimatized for two weeks in a controlled climate cabinet in containers containing 10% nutrient solution. Concentrations of 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 ppm of LIN and NS were applied to healthy growing plants. It was determined from the increase in hydrogen peroxide and MDA levels that the applied herbicides caused oxidative stress in M. verticillatum cells. Photosynthetic pigment and protein contents generally decreased in a dose-dependent manner under the influence of herbicide concentrations. NP-SH and total phenolic contents increased with the applications of herbicides. This may indicate that they have functions in counteracting the toxicity of herbicides. As a result, the physiological effect of LIN and NS herbicides on M. verticillatum was determined in this study.