Effect of Diquat on Uptake of Copper in Aquatic Plants

Combinations of copper sulfate pentahydrate (hereinafter referred to as CSP) at 1.0 ppmw copper plus 0.1 to 2.0 ppmw 6,7-dihydrodipyrido-(1,2-a:2′,1′-c)pyrazinediium ion (diquat) resulted in higher accumulations of copper in hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata Casp.), egeria (Egeria densa Planch.), and southern naiad (Najas guadalupensis Spreng. Magnus) when compared to plants which received only CSP. A contact period greater than 24 hr was necessary before the higher amounts of copper were detected in those plants treated with the combinations. Water samples from outdoor, plastic pools 7 days after treatment with CSP at 1.0 ppmw of copper plus 1.0 ppmw of diquat contained 25% less copper than pools treated with CSP. Samples of hydrilla and southern naiad removed 7 days after treatment of the pools with the combination contained 77 and 38% more copper, respectively, than samples from those pools treated with only CSP.