RESUMO
Chlorophyll fluorescence techniques are used for the detection of toxic substances in samples of photosynthetic cells by measuring chlorophyll a fluorimetric parameters, which are a response of the PSII physiological status. This work was conducted to determine the effects of the herbicide bentazon (CASRN 25057-89-0) on growth and maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) in cells of the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum. Unialgal cultures were exposed to several bentazon concentrations and its effects on algal growth and Fv/Fm were determined. The traditional algal growth inhibition test (algal biomass measurements) and DCMU-induced chlorophyll a variable fluorescence measurements were determined. Our results showed that even low concentrations of bentazon rapidly lead to Fv/Fm decrease, while the effects on algal growth were detected after 24 h of exposure. The LOEC (2.81 mg L(-1)) and EC50 (13.0 mg L(-1)) determined through Fv/Fm experiments were lower than the LOEC (22.5 mg L(-1)) and EC50 (24.0 mg L(-1)) determined through algal growth inhibition experiments. This confirms that the Fv/Fm is a more sensitive parameter than algal growth for monitoring the effects of bentazon. The present results have demonstrated the applicability of Fv/Fm parameter to access the early toxicity of bentazon, as well as other PSII-inhibition compounds, before significant changes occurred in the original concentration and bioavailability of these toxicants during longer exposure times.