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The effect of the herbicide glyphosate on non‐target spiders: Part I. Direct effects on Lepthyphantes tenuis under laboratory conditions
Author(s) -
Haughton Alison J,
Bell James R,
Wilcox Andrew,
Boatman Nigel D
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
pest management science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.296
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1526-4998
pISSN - 1526-498X
DOI - 10.1002/ps.388
Subject(s) - glyphosate , linyphiidae , biology , spider , toxicology , pesticide , chemical control , agronomy , zoology
We examined the toxic effects of glyphosate to adult female Lepthyphantes tenuis (Araneae, Linyphiidae), a common spider of agricultural habitats. The overspray technique was used to investigate the effect of the herbicide on forty individuals in each of six glyphosate treatments (2160, 1440, 1080, 720, 360 and 180 g ha −1 ) and a distilled water control. Spiders collected from the wild were individually placed in exposure chambers and checked every 24 h over a 72‐h experimental period. Mortality of L tenuis remained at less than 10% in all treatments at 24 and 48 h after spray application, and only increased marginally (to 13%) after 72 h. These results support other limited data which suggest that glyphosate is ‘harmless’ to non‐target arthropods. More extended laboratory testing to investigate any side‐effects of glyphosate on the life history of L tenuis and other non‐beneficial invertebrates is required. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry