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Herbicide Safeners Decrease Sensitivity to Herbicides Inhibiting Acetolactate-Synthase and Likely Activate
Arnaud Duhoux1, Fanny Pernin1, Diane Desserre1
1l'Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)Agroécologie, Dijon, France.
Frontiers in Plant Science
|August 30, 2017
Summary
Safeners, used with herbicides to protect crops, may inadvertently increase weed resistance by enhancing herbicide-degrading pathways in weeds like rye-grass. This suggests a new mechanism for non-target-site resistance (NTSR) evolution in weeds.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Plant Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Herbicides are crucial for crop production and food security, but their efficacy is challenged by weed resistance.
- Safeners are used to enhance herbicide selectivity, protecting crops by boosting herbicide metabolism.
- Non-target-site resistance (NTSR) in weeds often involves enhanced herbicide metabolism, raising concerns about safener use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential role of widely used safeners (cloquintocet-mexyl and mefenpyr-diethyl) in the evolution of NTSR in rye-grass (Lolium sp.).
- To assess the impact of safeners on the sensitivity of Lolium sp. to acetolactate-synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides.
- To examine the effect of safeners on the expression of NTSR marker genes in Lolium sp.
Main Methods:
- Three Lolium sp. populations were tested with herbicides alone or with safeners at field rates.
- Plant survival frequencies were compared between herbicide-only and herbicide+safener treatments.
- Individual plant sensitivity was assessed via vegetative propagation, and expression levels of 19 NTSR marker genes were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Safener co-application significantly increased the survival frequency of Lolium sp. plants by 5.0–46.5% when treated with their associated herbicides.
- A notable percentage of plants (44.4% for pyroxsulam and 11.1% for iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) showed reduced sensitivity when co-treated with safeners.
- Safeners enhanced the expression of 10 out of 19 investigated NTSR marker genes in Lolium sp.
Conclusions:
- Cloquintocet-mexyl and mefenpyr-diethyl reduce Lolium sp. sensitivity to ALS-inhibiting herbicides, likely by exacerbating herbicide-degrading metabolic pathways.
- The findings suggest that genetic variation for safener response exists in Lolium sp., potentially driving NTSR evolution.
- Targeted delivery of safeners exclusively to crops could mitigate the risk of NTSR evolution in weeds.
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