Herbicides and Plant Physiology

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Weed Biology

• • 1.1 Introduction
• • 1.2 Distribution
• • 1.3 The importance of weeds
• • 1.4 Problems caused by weeds
• • 1.5 Biology of weeds
• • 1.6 A few examples of problem weeds
• • 1.7 Positive attributes of weeds
• • 1.8 The ever-changing weed spectrum
• • 1.9 Weed Control
• • References

Chapter 2: Herbicide Discovery and Development

• • 2.1 Introduction
• • 2.2 Markets
• • 2.3 Prospects
• • 2.4 Environmental impact and relative toxicology
• • 2.5 Chemophobia
• • 2.6 The search for novel active ingredients
• • 2.7 The search for novel target sites
• • 2.8 Mode of action studies
• • 2.9 The role of natural chemistry
• • 2.10 Recent developments
• • 2.11 A lower limit for rates of herbicide application
• • References

Chapter 3: Herbicide Uptake and Movement

• • 3.1 Introduction
• • 3.2 The cuticle as a barrier to foliar uptake
• • 3.3 Physico-chemical aspects of foliar uptake
• • 3.4 Herbicide formulation
• • 3.5 Uptake by roots from soil
• • 3.6 Herbicide translocation from roots to shoots
• • 3.7 A case study: The formulation of acids
• • 3.8 The formulation of glyphosate
• • 3.9 Further developments
• • References

Chapter 4: Herbicide Selectivity and Metabolism

• • 4.1 Introduction
• • 4.2 General principles
• • 4.3 Herbicide safeners and synergists
• • References

Chapter 5: Herbicides That Inhibit Photosynthesis

• • 5.1 Introduction
• • 5.2 Photosystems
• • 5.3 Inhibition at Photosystem II
• • 5.4 Photodamage and repair of Photosystem II
• • 5.5 Structures and uses of Photosystem II inhibitors
• • 5.6 Interference with electron flow at Photosystem I
• • 5.7 RuBisCO activase
• • 5.8 How treated plants die
• • 5.9 Chlorophyll fluorescence
• • 5.10 Inhibition of photosynthetic carbon reduction in C4 plants
• • References

Chapter 6: Inhibition of Pigment Biosynthesis

• • 6.1 Introduction: Structures and functions of photosynthetic pigments
• • 6.2 Inhibition of chlorophyll biosynthesis
• • 6.3 Inhibition of carotenoid biosynthesis
• • 6.4 Inhibition of plastoquinone biosynthesis
• • 6.5 How treated plants die
• • 6.6 Selectivity and metabolism
• • 6.7 Summary
• • References

Chapter 7: Auxin-Type Herbicides

• • 7.1 Introduction
• • 7.2 Structure and uses of auxin-type herbicides
• • 7.3 Auxin, a natural plant growth regulator
• • 7.4 Biosynthesis and metabolism of auxins
• • 7.5 Auxin receptors, gene expression and herbicides
• • 7.6 Signal transduction
• • 7.7 Auxin transport
• • 7.8 Resistance to auxin-type herbicides
• • 7.9 An “auxin overdose”
• • 7.10 How treated plants die
• • 7.11 Selectivity and metabolism
• • References

Chapter 8: Inhibitors of Lipid Biosynthesis

• • 8.1 Introduction
• • 8.2 Structures and uses of graminicides
• • 8.3 Inhibition of lipid biosynthesis
• • 8.4 Activity of graminicides in mixtures
• • 8.5 How treated plants die
• • 8.6 Plant oxylipins: Lipids with key roles in plant defence and development
• • 8.7 Selectivity
• • References

Chapter 9: Inhibition of Amino Acid Biosynthesis

• • 9.1 Introduction
• • 9.2 Overview of amino acid biosynthesis in plants
• • 9.3 Inhibition of glutamine synthetase
• • 9.4 Inhibition of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis
• • 9.5 Inhibition of branch-chain amino acid biosynthesis
• • 9.6 Inhibition of histidine biosynthesis
• • References

Chapter 10: Disruption of the Plant Cell Cycle

• • 10.1 Introduction
• • 10.2 The plant cell cycle
• • 10.3 Control of the plant cell cycle
• • 10.4 Microtubule structure and function
• • 10.5 Herbicidal interference with microtubules
• • 10.6 Selectivity
• • References

Chapter 11: The Inhibition of Cellulose Biosynthesis

• • 11.1 Introduction
• • 11.2 Cellulose biosynthesis
• • 11.3 Cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors
• • 11.4 How treated plants die
• • 11.5 Selectivity
• • References

Chapter 12: Plant kinases, phosphatases and Stress Signalling

• • 12.1 Introduction
• • 12.2 Plant kinases
• • 12.3 Plant phosphatases
• • 12.4 Cyclin-dependent kinases and plant stress
• • 12.5 Post-translational modification of proteins
• • References

Chapter 13: Herbicide Resistance

• • 13.1 Introduction
• • 13.2 Definition of herbicide resistance
• • 13.3 How herbicide resistance occurs
• • 13.4 A chronology of herbicide resistance
• • 13.5 Mechanisms of resistance
• • 13.6 Case Study: Blackgrass (_Alopecurus myosuroides_ Huds)
• • 13.7 Strategies for the control of herbicide-resistant weeds
• • 13.8 The future development of herbicide-resistance
• • References

Chapter 14: Herbicide-Tolerant Crops

• • 14.1 Introduction
• • 14.2 History of genetically-modified, herbicide-tolerant crops
• • 14.3 How genetically-modified crops are produced
• • 14.4 Genetically engineered herbicide-tolerance to glyphosate
• • 14.5 Genetically-modified herbicide-tolerance to glufosinate
• • 14.6 Genetically-modified herbicide-tolerance to bromoxynil
• • 14.7 Genetically-modified herbicide-tolerance to sulphonylureas
• • 14.8 Genetically-modified herbicide-tolerance to 2,4-D
• • 14.9 Genetically-modified herbicide-tolerance to fops and dims
• • 14.10 Genetically-modified herbicide -tolerance to phytoene desaturase inhibitors
• • 14.11 Herbicide-tolerance due to engineering of enhanced metabolism
• • 14.12 Herbicide-tolerance through means other than genetic modification
• • 14.13 Gene editing
• • 14.14 Economic, environmental and human health benefits from the adoption of GM technology
• • 14.15 Gene stacking
• • 14.16 Will the rise of glyphosate be inevitably followed by a fall?
• • 14.17 Why is there so much opposition to GM technology?
• • 14.18 Future prospects
• • References

Chapter 15: Further Targets For Herbicide Development

• • 15.1 Introduction
• • 15.2 Protein turnover
• • 15.3 The promotion of ageing in weeds?
• • 15.4 Herbicide leads at the apicoplast
• • 15.5 Control of seed germination and dormancy
• • 15.6 Natural products as leads for new herbicides
• • References