Mode of Safener Action of Dimepiperate, a Thiolcarbamate Herbicide, on Bensulfuron Methyl Activity

Abstract

Abstract Bensulfuron methyl is a sulfonylurea herbicide controlling a broad spectrum of broadleaf and sedge weeds in paddy rice. Safening effects with certain thiolcarbamate herbicides for grass control have been discovered in the process of combination products development. The results of mode of safening studies revealed that the enhancement of metabolic inactivation rate of bensulfuron methyl in plants was the basis of safening.Among these thiolcarbamates, dimepiperate was unique in exhibiting safening action even in direct water-seeded rice. Further studies on dimepiperate effects on root-applied bensulfu­ron methyl indicated that rice root elongation, enhanced metabolism in roots and in shoots, were the key to the safening effects. The translocation rate of bensulfuron methyl, from roots to shoots, on the other hand, was not significantly affected by dimepiperate.