Abstract
Piperonyl butoxide (PB) is a known Synergist which enhances the activity of insecticides by inhibiting their biotransformation to less active products. We have evaluated the possible use of PB as a herbicide synergist using triazine herbicides in sensitive, tolerant, and resistant plants. The effects of PB, triazine herbicides, and their combinations were examined in whole plants as well as in chloroplasts isolated from triazine-sensitive (S) and -resistant (R) weed biotypes. PB itself, applied postemergence (0.1–0.5%, v/v), was slightly toxic to the plants tested. However, foliar application of PB combined with atrazine, terbutryn or prometryn to maize seedlings significantly increased the phytotoxicity of the herbicides. Low rates of atrazine, prometryn, and terbutryn in a tank-mixture with PB, effectively controlled Solatium nigrum L. and Abutilon theophrasli Medik. PB enhanced atrazine efficacy in both S and R biotypes of Lolium rigidum Gaud. The synergistic effect of PB was evident also in vitro when atrazine and methabenzthiazuron were used to inhibit photosystem II electron transport in chloroplasts isolated from resistant weeds. These data demonstrate the potential of PB as a herbicide synergist and its possible utilization as an aid for improving the activity of triazine herbicides in sensitive, tolerant and resistant plants.
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Varsano, R., Rubin, B. Increased herbicidal activity of triazine herbicides by piperonyl butoxide. Phytoparasitica 19, 225–236 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02981120
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02981120