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Notes: Variable fluorescence and carbon dioxide exchange rate (CER) were measured in intact leaves of glyphosate-treated sugarbeet plants, to investigate rapid effects on photosynthesis. In one experiment, a significant effect on variable fluorescence and CER was found within 8 h after herbicide application. The effect on stomatal conductance was not significant. In a second experiment, the effects of light or dark conditions during herbicide application and 24 h later were evaluated. Under light conditions glyphosate significantly reduced variable fluorescence after 4 h. However under initial conditions of 24 h darkness, followed by alternating 8 h light/8 h dark, the effect was not significant until 44 h after treatment, by which time the plants had received several hours of light. The eflect on variable fluorescence 8 h after herbidde application correlated positively with plant survival 7 days later.

Notes: One of the most commonly used techniques to assess the efficacy of herbicides is to apply to the principle of bioassays. A bioassay is defined as an experiment for estimating the potency of a herbicide by analysis of the reaction that follows its application to living organisms. The analysis of variance is central to most applications of statistical methods in the analysis of experiments. This is true for bioassay, but perhaps the fundamental importance of regression and related concepts is here particularly apparent. The purpose of this presentation is to quantify herbicidal effects of applying non-linear regression models to herbicide bioassays, and to demonstrate how some general hypotheses about the mode of action of the assayed herbicides can be incorporated into the regression models. The validity of herbicide bioassay data is discussed in view of the general principles used in bioassay in other biological sciences.

Notes: A total of 74 independently run bioassays with soil incorporated metsulfuron-methyl from 12 different laboratories was analysed by a logistic dose-response curve to assess the precision of regression parameters and relate ED50 to soil properties. The potency in terms of ED50 of metsulfuron-methyl in Brassica rapa L., which was used by all laboratories, varied between 0.05 and 3.9 g a.i. ha-1. ED50 was negatively correlated with pH and positively correlated with organic matter. The majority of laboratories had ED50 within the interval 0.1-1.0 g a.i. ha-1. At one laboratory using three test species, the most sensitive species was Beta vulgaris L. followed by Brassica rapa L. and Lepidium sativum L. The coefficients of variation were smallest for the ED50 and ED90 response levels and largest for the ED10. The slope of the response curves had considerably lower coefficients of variation than the EDs. The results are discussed in relation to a previous collaborative bioassay study. Finally it is suggested that standardization of bioassays with herbicides could be achieved in the same way as standardization of chemical analyses.

Notes: The distribution of 37 common weed species in eight common Danish crops in response to seven edaphic factors was evaluated using linear logistic regression with adjustment for over-dispersion. The main effects of soil properties on weed distribution were adjusted for crop type and sample year by the regression. Crop type and soil clay content were generally those explanatory variables that had the greatest influence on occurrence of the weed species, but all other factors examined (sample year, loss on ignition, pH, P, K, Mg and Mn) also had an effect on the occurrence of some weed species.

Notes: The principles of parallel-line assay were employed lo assess the influence of various additives on the herbicidal activity of alloxydim-sodium, fluazifop-butyl and sethoxydim on winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Igri). The dose-response curves of the herbicides were parallel, only differing in their horizontal location, i.e., the relative potencies of the herbicide preparations were independent of the dose-response level considered. Except for one herbicide-additive combination, increasing the concentration of the additives in the spray solution increased herbicide activity. The prospects of using the parallel-line assay in studies examining the effect of additives on the activity of herbicides and its application in other kinds of herbicide studies are discussed. Méthode d'estimation de l'influence d'adjuvants sur l'efficacite de certains herbicides appliqués en pulvérisation foliaireLe principe d'essai des lignes parallèles a été utilise pour estimer l'influence d'adjuvants variés sur l'activité herbicide de l'alloxydine sodium, le fluazifop-butyl et la séthoxydine en orge d'hiver (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Igri). Les courbes de réponse à la dose entre les herbicides étaient parallèles, différant seulement dans leur localisation horizontale, par exemple les puissances relatives des préparations herbicides étaient indépendantes du niveau de la réponse à la dose pris en considération. Excepté pour un mélange herbicide-adjuvant, l'activité des herbicides a augmenté quand on a augmenté la concentration en adjuvants dans la bouillie de pulvérisation. Les possibilités d'utilisation de cette méthode des parallèles pour étudier l'effet des adjuvants sur l'activité des herbicides, et son application à d'autres secteurs d'étude des herbicides, fait l'objet d'une discussion. Eine Methode zur Beurteilung des Einflusses von Additiven auf die Wirkung von blattwirksamen HerbizidenBasierend auf den Grundlagen von ‘parallel line’-Bioassays wurde der Einfluss verschiedener Additive auf die herbizide Wirkung von Alloydim-Natrium, Fluazifop-Butyl und Sethoxydim auf Wintergerste (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Igri) untersucht. Die Dosis/Wirkungs—Kurven waren parallel; sie unterschieden sich nur in ihrer horizontalen Lage, d.h. die relative Wirksamkeit der Herbizidformulierungen war unabhängig von einem bestimmten Dosis/Wirkungs–Niveau. Nur für eine Herbizid/Additiv—Kombination wurde eine zunchmende Aktivität der Herbizide mit steigender Additivkonzentration in der Spritzbrühe gefunden. Es werden die Möglichkeiten der Verwendung von ‘parallel line’-Bioassays zum Studium des Einflusses von Additiven auf den Effekt von Herbiziden sowie für andere Herbziduntersuchungen diskutiert.

Notes: The efficacy of some binary mixtures of MCPA, 2,4-D dichlorprop, mecoprop and dicamba was evaluated in water culture experiments. Within each of seven assays, two dose-response curves described the phytotoxicity of the herbicides administered separately and three curves described the phytotoxicity of mixtures in fixed ratios. A non-linear regression model of dry matter on the logarithm of the dose, assuming the five response curves to be mutually parallel, was fitted and a reference model, the Additive Dose Model (ADM) to assess the efficacy of the mixtures, was also incorporated into the regression. The biological interpretation of ADM is often associated with mixtures of compounds having similar mode of action. Mixtures of dicamba with dichlorprop or 2,4-D were more potent than expected under ADM in two Sinapis alba assays. In one assay with mixtures of MCPA and dichlorprop the parallel-line model fitted somewhat better than did the ADM regression. This also applied to a barley assay with mixtures of dicamba and MCPA. On the basis of the results obtained it is suggested that the analogy between the implicit assumptions of the parallel-line assay can be extended to the ADM. Parallel dose response curves are a necessary but not a sufficient condition for assuming similar mode of action Similarly, it can be argued that mixtures of compounds following ADM are a necessary but not a sufficient condition for assuming a similar mode of action for the herbicides in a mixture.

Notes: Summary Weeds cause yield losses and reductions in crop quality. Prior to the introduction of selective herbicides, the drudgery of manual weeding forced farmers to adhere to a suit of weed management tactics by carefully combining crop rotation, appropriate tillage and fallow systems. The introduction of selective herbicides in the late 1940s and the constant flow of new herbicides in the succeeding decades provided farmers with a new tool, ‘the chemical hoe’, putting them in a position to consider weed control more independently of the crop production system than hitherto. The reliance on herbicides for weed control, however, resulted in shifts in the weed flora and the selection of herbicide-resistant biotypes. In the 1980s, the public concern about side-effects of herbicides on the environment and human health resulted in increasingly strict registration requirements and, in some countries, political initiatives to reduce the use of pesticides were launched. Today, the number of new herbicides being introduced has decreased significantly and integrated weed management has become the guiding concept. Farmers also have the option of growing herbicide-resistant crops where the biology of the crop has been adapted to tolerate herbicides considered safe to humans and environmentally benign. This paper discusses some of the recent developments in herbicide discovery, technology and fate, and sketches important future developments.

Notes: Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the effect of both ester and amine formulations of MCPA on the phytotoxicity of imazamethabenz applied to wild oats (Avena fatua). The MCPA ester antagonized activity of the liquid concentrate (LC) formulation of imazamethabenz but not the suspension concentrate (SC) formulation of imazamethabenz when the combination was applied to wild oats at two-to three-leaf stage without tiller. The MCPA amine antagonized the efficacy of both formulations of imazamethabenz on wild oats at the two-to three-leaf stage. When the herbicides were applied at the three- to four-leaf stage with one or two tillers, the antagonism was found only with MCPA amine and imazamethabenz-LC. In general, antagonism is most likely to occur at an early stage of wild oats. MCPA amine was more antagonistic than MCPA ester on the phytotoxicity of imazamethabenz. Imazamethabenz-SC can be tank mixed with MCPA ester but should not be tank mixed with MCPA amine. Imazamethabenz-LC should not be tank mixed with either ester or amine of MCPA because of antagonism, especially when herbicides are applied at early stage. When MCPA was applied at intervals of from 2 to 24 h following applications of imazamethabenz-LC, there was no antagonistic effect of MCPA and the same level of phytotoxicity was produced as with imazamethabenz-LC alone. In the reverse sequence of MCPA followed by imazamethabenz-LC, the greatest antagonism of phytotoxicity of imazamethabenz-LC occurred when 2 h separated the two applications. This effect was lessened when the elapsed time increased. Effet du MCPA sur I'efficacitée de l'imazaméthabenz-méthyle sur la folle avoine (Avena fatua L.)Des études en serres ont étéé réalisées pour déterminer I'effet de formulations ester et amine du MCPA sur l'efficacité de l'imazaméthabenz contre la folle avoine (Avena fatua L.). Lorsque le mélange était appliqué sur des folles avoines au stade 2–3 feuilles sans talle, l'ester de MCPA était antagoniste de la formulation de l'imazaméthabenz en concentré liquide (LC) mais pas de la formulation en suspension concentrée (SC). Le MCPA amine était antagoniste des deux formulations d'imazaméthabenz. Quand les herbicides étaient appliqués au stade 3–4 feuiles avec 1–2 talles, l'antagonisme ne s'observait qu'avec le MCPA amine et l'imazaméthabenz- LC. En général, l'antagonisme se produisait surtout aux stades précoces de la folle avoine. Le MCPA amine était plus antagoniste de l'activité de l'imazaméthabenz que le MCPA ester. L'imazaméthabenz-SC peut étre mélangé au moment du traitement avec le MCPA ester mais pas avec le MCPA amine. L'imazaméthabenz- LC ne doit pas étre mélangé au moment du traitement avec le MCPA, qu'il soit sous forme ester ou amine, surtout quand les herbicides sont appliqués è un stade précoce. Quand le MCPA était appliquéè des intervalles de 2 è 24 h après l'imazaméthabenz-LC, il n'y avait pas d'antagonisme du MCPA. Si l'ordre des applications était inversé, l'antagonisme était le plus important lorsque 2 h les séparaient et il diminuait lorsque l'intervalle augmentail. Beinflussung der Phytotoxizität von Imazamethabenz-methyl auf Avena fatua L. durch MCPAIn Gewächshausversuchen setzte MCPA-Ester die Wirkurlg der Flüssig-Formulierung von Imazamethabenz-methyl auf Avena fatua L. im 2- bis 3-Blatt-Stadium herab, aber nicht die der Suspensions-Formulierung. MCPA-Amin war gegenüber beiden Formulierungen antagonistisch. Im 3- bis 4-Blatt-Stadium bei 1 bis 2 Bestockungstrieben trat die Wirkungsminderung durch MCPA-Amin nur bei der Flüssig- Formulierung ein. Also scheint der Wirkungsantagonismus in frühen Avena-fatua- Entwicklungsstadien und für MCPA-Amin am stärksten zu sein, so daé es von Tankmischungen mit der Suspensions-Formulierung ausgenommen werden sollte. Die Flüssig-Formulierung sollte weder mit MCPA-Amin noch -Ester gemischt werden. Bei Applikation von MCPA 2 bis 12 h nach Imazamethabenz-methyl in der Flüssig-Formulierung wurde die Wirkung nicht beeinträchtigt. Umgekehrt ergab sich bei Anwendung der Flüssig-Formulierung 2 h nach einer MCPA-Ausbringung der gröte Antagonismus, der sich mit längerem Abstand zwischen den Anwendungen verringerte.

Notes: A two-species model was used to summarize results of four experiments with two component mixtures of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), peas (Pisum sativum L.), Chenopodium album L. and Sinapis alba L. grown in pots in greenhouses. The results, covering a wide range of plant densities both in mixtures and pure stands, showed that the model was not always able to describe the relationship between the yield of a species and the densities of itself and its companion species. The deviations from the model were in all instances greatest for the least competitive species. The model that quantifies competition and niche differentiation appeared to be too general because competition between species was not independent of the wide plant density ranges used here. The results are discussed in relation to possible improvements of the model and an analogy between the principles of assessing crop weed competition and the assessment of the relative potency of herbicides in bioassay studies is put forward.

Notes: A non-linear model relating crop yield to the density of weeds was fitted to nine Victorian weeds to evaluate their competitive abilities. The weeds were: Acroptilon repens (L.) DC. (creeping knapweed), Chondrilla juncea L. (Skeleton weed, Raphanus raphanistrum L. (Wild radish), lolium rigidum Gaud. (Annual ryegrass), Lithospermum arvense L. (White iron weed), Brassica tournefortii Gouan (Wild turnip), Lamium amplexicaule L. (Deadnettle), Fumaria parviflora Lam. (White fumitory) and Amsinckia hispida (Ruiz & Pav.) I.M. Johnston (Amsinckia). Where more than one experiment was available for a weed, the net return for a herbicide treatment over a range of weed densities was calculated to obtain the economic threshold density.Generally, the economic threshold densities within a weed species were the same order of magnitude, except for the perennial Chondrilla Juncea L., For this species data were collected in years of contrasting rainfall. The model used here is discussed in view of the threshold approach currently used in continental Europe.