Project Number: 1265-22000-164-04
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 07, 2005
End Date: Jul 30, 2009

Objective:
Determine the effect of glyphosate applied at various levels below recommended field application rates for the control of Erythroxylum species on cocaine and other alkaloids produced in leaves 60 days after treatment and at 90 day intervals following the first harvest of leaf tissue.

Approach:
Greenhouse-grown Erythroxylum coca var. ipadu and Erythroxylum novovgranatense var. novogranatense plants, of approximatley 4-5 years of age, will be transplanted into 10" azalea pots containing steam-sterilized potting mix composed of Beltsville soil fortified with composted manure, Promix BX, 5-10-5 fertilizer, and Magnesium dolomite. Immediately after transplanting, the plants will be trimmed to a height of 1.5 to 2 feet. Plants will be watered and fertilized as needed. The plants will be defoliated at approximately 6 months after transplanting. At 30 days after defoliation, plants will be treated with the glyphosate formulation currently used in South America for the control of Erythroxylum. Treatments will range from 0 to 1/4 the recommended dose, with six replicates per treatment. Approximately 1 g fresh weight of leaf tissue will be harvested at 7 days after treatment (DAT) for shikimic acid analysis and the plants will be defoliated at 60 and 150 DAT for alkaloid analysis. A field validation study will also be conducted with treatments and harvests made based on the greenhouse study results.