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Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in bootstrap_table() (line 238 of /var/www/html/sites/all/themes/bootstrap/templates/system/table.func.php).The effect of post-emergence herbicides on the fertility of mother plants and pollen quality in sugar beet seed production
Growing sugar beet seeds is impossible without the use of herbicides. To control weed infestation in commercial sugar beet crops, a number of herbicides are recommended; however, most of them have not been sufficiently studied with regard to their effects on mother roots and seed plants. According to the literature, herbicides exert diverse effects on cultivated plants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the post-emergence herbicides Betanal Max PRO and Goltix Gold on the ploidy of sugar beet mother plants and pollen grain quality. Significant changes were identified in the cellular system of sugar beet plants, particularly following the application of Betanal Max PRO and Goltix Gold at maximum rates and under their combined use. When mother plants were treated with the maximum recommended herbicide doses, the proportion of diploid plants decreased by 19.6–23.8 %, while the number of mixoploids increased 2.3–3.0 times compared with the control. The smallest alterations in the chromosomal apparatus were observed when mother plants were treated with Betanal Max PRO at a rate of 1 L/ha. In this treatment variant, the proportions of diploids and mixoploids remained at the control level and amounted to 87.5 % and 12.5 %, respectively. Similar results were obtained when Goltix Gold was applied at the minimum recommended rate (1.5 L/ha). The use of post-emergence herbicides on sugar beet mother plants caused significant disturbances in pollen grain quality in the tetraploid multigerm pollinator hybrid Konstanta, especially when increased herbicide rates were applied. An increase in the proportion of deformed pollen grains was observed following the application of maximum herbicide doses. In particular, treatment with Betanal Max PRO at the maximum rate resulted in a 6.6-fold increase in deformed pollen grains and a 3.5-fold increase in non-viable pollen grains compared with the control. Application of Goltix Gold for weed control also led to disturbances in generative development; however, these effects were considerably less pronounced than those observed with Betanal Max PRO at the maximum rate.
Key words: mother roots, seed plants, chromosomal apparatus, pollen viability, pollen size, diploids, tetraploids.
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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2968-8382