Enantioseparation and Enantioselective Phytotoxicity of Glufosinate Ammonium on Catechin Biosynthesis in Wheat

The enantioselective phytotoxicity of chiral pesticides is a new area of research in phyto-biochemical studies. Glufosinate (GL) is a chiral herbicide, comprised of the two enantiomers. The aim of this study was to investigate the enantioselective phytotoxicity of glufosinate ammonium enantiomers on root and shoot dry weight as well as catechin biosynthesis of wheat seedlings. Separation of GL enantiomers was achieved by using high-performance liquid chromatography on Eurocel 01 column. The optical rotation of separated enantiomers confirmed the purity of each isomer. The I50 parameter, which is the concentration resulting in a 50 % inhibition in root and shoot dry weight estimated using dose-response curves, showed that (+)-GL was 4.2 times more active than the (-)-GL enantiomer. It demonstrated that the effect of enantioselectivity of GL on catechin biosynthesis in wheat shoots was sensible, while the effect of enantioselectivity of GL in catechin content in wheat roots was not distinct. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.