The physiological responses of corn (Zea mays L. ‘Goldencrossbantam′) and pea (Pisum sativum L. ‘Alaska′) to sethoxydim {2-[1-(ethoxyimino)butyl]-5-[2-(ethylthio) propyl]-3-hydroxy-2-cyclohexen-1-one} were investigated. Sethoxydim did not affect excised pea root growth at 1 × 10−4 M but inhibited excised corn root growth at concentrations of 1 × 10−8 M and above. Treating corn impeded root growth with 1 × 10−7 M sethoxydim within 4 h after treatment; however, little histological change of the roots was observed at 48 h. At 1 × 10−6 M, growth nearly stopped within 4 h after treatment, and clear cytological changes of the roots were observed at 24 and 48 h. Sethoxydim inhibited both mitosis and DNA synthesis of excised corn root tips between 4 and 48 h after treatment. Respiration of corn roots measured by oxygen uptake and the TTC (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride) test was not affected by the herbicide directly. Sethoxydim (1 × 10−4 M) inhibited IAA-induced cell elongation of corn coleoptile and pea epicotyl by 37 and 12%, respectively. Sethoxydim selectively inhibited the growth of excised root tips of susceptible corn by affecting cell division rather than cell enlargement, and the inhibition mechanism of cell division (inhibition of mitosis) by the herbicide was not by direct inhibition of DNA synthesis or by effects on respiration.

The selectivity mechanisms of sethoxydim {2-[1-(ethoxyimino)butyl]-5-[2-(ethylthio)propyl]-3-hydroxy-2-cyclohexen-1-one} were investigated by examining absorption of 14C-sethoxydim into tissues of corn (Zea mays L. ‘Goldencrossbantam′) and pea (Pisum sativum L. ‘Alaska′). Greater absorption of 14C-sethoxydim was observed only into the proliferative 2-mm terminals of the excised roots of susceptible corn, and the same result was obtained with corn seedlings in hydroponic culture. Absorption was not affected by 1 × 10−4 M 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), which indicated that the absorption of 14C-sethoxydim is probably mediated by a passive transport system rather than an active transport system. The selective herbicidal action of sethoxydim appeared to depend largely on the differential rates of absorption into meristematic regions by the susceptible and tolerant plants.