Effects of herbicides on seed germination and seedling physiological characteristics of Festuca arundinacea and Dichondra repens

The effects of glyphosate and 2, 4-D butylate on the seed germination and seedling growth of Festuca arundinacea and Dichondra repens were researched using seed soaking and leaf spraying, respectively. Generally, the germination rates of Festuca arundinacea and Dichondra repens were inhibited by glyphosate, and the effects intensified with the increase in concentration. Both the shoot height and root length of the two kinds of turfgrass seedlings were also significantly reduced by glyphosate (P < 0.05). The responses of the physiological indices of two kinds of turfgrass to 2, 4-D butylate were basically the same. With the increasing extent and duration of 2, 4-D butylate stress, the malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline content of seedling leaves increased, whereas both the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and chlorophyll content declined. This study highlights that glyphosate highly inhibited the germination rate and seedling growth of two kinds of turfgrass, and 2, 4-D butylate affected the physiological characteristics of D. repens seedlings negatively as well as those of F. arundinacea.