Chapter 12: Herbicide Discovery and Classification
12.12 Summary
This chapter began the discussion of herbicides as a potential component of a weed management program. We explored how new herbicide chemistries are found, as well as the pros and cons of using herbicides in crop production systems. We also discussed various ways that herbicides can be classified, in particular by their Mode of Action and Site of Action.
Key Takeaways
Key takeaways from this chapter include:
- Herbicides offer several advantages: flexibility in management plans, may reduce crop rotations needed for effective weed control, reduces manual labor requirements, may improve control of perennials.
- Disadvantages of herbicides include: they are expensive, can potentially damage non-target organisms, can require applicator’s license, resistance to herbicides can occur in weed populations.
- Historically herbicides were discovered by putting chemicals onto plants and observing the resulting effects. Today herbicide research relies on computer based models, and biochemical analysis techniques to find new possible herbicides.
- Every herbicide has a chemical name, common name, and trade name.
- Herbicides are further classified by their Mode of Action, Site of Action, Herbicide or Chemical Family, and Site of Absorption.
- Classification schemes vary by organization (WSSA, HRAC, etc.).