Selection of species tolerant to the herbicide sulfentrazone with potential for phytoremediation of contaminated soils

This paper aimed to select species with potential for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with the herbicide sulfentrazone. Eight species were evaluated: Arachis pintoi, Eleusine coracana, Crotalaria spectabilis, Crotalaria ochroleuca, Cajanus cajan, Leucaena leucocephala, Stizolobium cinereum, and Raphanus sativus. The experiment was set-up inside a greenhouse, using pots with a capacity of 6dm(3) filled with soil samples collected at a depth of 0-20cm. The experimental design was arranged into randomised blocks in a factorial scheme (8 x 5) with four replications, which consisted of the combination between the species and five doses of sulfentrazone (0, 200, 400, 800, and 1,600g ha(-1)). The herbicide phytotoxicity, plant heights, and dry masses of shoots and roots were evaluated. The species Cajanus cajan and Leucaena leucocephala had a higher tolerance to sulfentrazone up to a dose of 400g ha(-1), showing minor symptoms of phytotoxicity and smaller decreases in plant heights and in dry matter accumulation, both in the shoots and roots, when compared to the control treatment, indicating, thus, the potential to be used for further studies on phytoremediation of sulfentrazone in soil.