Glufosinate is considered a contact herbicide because of its fast activity and limited translocation in plants. We used Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) as a model species to study plant-related factors affecting glufosinate uptake and translocation. Glufosinate uptake increased rapidly during the initial 24 h, achieving maximum uptake from this time on. The rate of uptake saturated with doses higher than 250 μM glufosinate, suggesting the involvement of a membrane transporter. When glufosinate concentrations were higher (>1 mM), uptake was a simple diffusion process in favor of a concentration gradient between the inside and the outside of the cells. Glufosinate uptake was inhibited by the presence of glutamine. The fast action of glufosinate did not limit its own translocation. Because glufosinate is highly water soluble, it translocates mostly through the apoplast or the xylem system. Consequently, old leaves tend to accumulate more herbicide than young meristematic leaves.
Keywords: Amaranthus palmeri; active transport; contact herbicide; diffusion; glutamine; glutamine synthetase; phosphinothricin; xylem movement.