The leaf sheaths at the nodes become mushy and brown, and the leaves themselves turn yellow and wilt. Seedling grasses tend to lodge by breaking over at the soil line. At sublethal doses flowering and seedhead production of perennial grasses may be inhibited. Modes of action of foliar applied, translocated herbicides showing initial symptoms on old growth. When looking at dying seedlings the cotyledons will be green then the first leaves will show the most injury and the shoot tip the least.
Death can vary from a few days to two weeks or more.
Weather and dosage can alter speed of kill. A combination of lack of carbohydrate availability and finally cell membrane disintegration results in plant death. The general description just above describes the typical plant responses. With higher doses and sensitive plants symptoms may appear identical to those associated with the rapid cell membrane destroyers described below. Kill is very rapid.