Smooth scouringrush is a creeping perennial with a high silica content in stems that may impede herbicide uptake. Smooth scouringrush has become a troublesome weed in no-till cropping systems across eastern Washington. In previous field studies, glyphosate provided inconsistent control of smooth scouringrush. The objective of this study was to determine if the addition of an organosilicone surfactant to glyphosate would improve the efficacy and consistency of control through stomatal flooding. To test this hypothesis, glyphosate was applied at three field sites at 3.78 kg ae ha–1 alone, with an organosilicone surfactant (OS1 or OS2), an organosilicone plus nonionic surfactant blend, or an alcohol-based surfactant applied during the day or at night. Stem counts were recorded 1 yr after herbicide applications. Five of the six effective treatments observed across the three study sites included organosilicone surfactant or an organosilicone plus nonionic surfactant blend. At two sites, when there was a difference in efficacy between application times; daytime applications were more effective than nighttime applications. These results support the hypothesis of stomatal flooding as a likely mechanism for enhanced efficacy of glyphosate with the addition of an organosilicone surfactant. However, at one site, the treatments containing organosilicone surfactant were more efficacious when applied at night than during the day. At this site, high daytime temperatures and low relative humidity may have resulted in rapid evaporation of spray droplets. The addition of an organosilicone surfactant to glyphosate is recommended for smooth scouringrush control, and daytime treatments are preferred but should be applied when temperatures and humidity are not conducive to rapid droplet drying. Further research is necessary to confirm that stomatal flooding is responsible for improved glyphosate efficacy.

Smooth scouringrush has invaded no-till production fields across the US Pacific Northwest. The ability of Equisetum species to take up and accumulate silica on the epidermis and in cell walls may affect herbicide uptake. The objectives of this study were to measure the silica concentration in smooth scouringrush stems over time, and to determine how time of application affects the efficacy of glyphosate for smooth scouringrush control, with and without the addition of an organosilicone surfactant (OSS). Field studies were conducted at three sites in eastern Washington from 2019 to 2021. Three herbicide treatments (no herbicide, glyphosate, and glyphosate + OSS) were applied at four application times (May, June, July, and August) in 2019 fallow. The silica content of smooth scouringrush stems increased over the course of the 2019 growing season at all three sites. In 2020, smooth scouringrush stem densities were reduced when the 2019 herbicide treatments were applied in late June (12% of no herbicide density) compared to late July (24%) or August (30%). Smooth scouringrush stem densities at all three sites, in both 2020 and 2021, were reduced in the glyphosate + OSS treatment compared to glyphosate alone. In 2021, 2 yr after herbicide application, there was no effect of application timing for the glyphosate treatment without OSS, but stem densities were reduced when glyphosate + OSS was applied in late June (1%) compared with applications in late July (26%) or late August (21%). It is not clear if the cause of reduced glyphosate efficacy with late July and late August applications is the result of increased silica content in smooth scouringrush stems over time. Maximum glyphosate efficacy on smooth scouringrush was achieved with an application in late June and with the addition of an OSS. Control of smooth scouringrush with glyphosate + OSS can be sustained for at least 2 yr after application.

The developmental status of perennial weeds such as rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea L.) can influence herbicide absorption and translocation. Differential efficacy between fall and spring applications suggests vernalization impacts herbicide absorption and translocation in other perennial asters. Clopyralid and aminopyralid absorption and translocation were quantified in nonvernalized and vernalized plants following application of 14C-labeled herbicides 2, 4, 8, 24, and 72 h after treatment. Less 14C clopyralid was absorbed, and at a slower rate, in vernalized plants. Movement out of the treated leaf was slower, with 14C clopyralid translocating more rapidly than 14C aminopyralid. More 14C moved to the roots in nonvernalized plants compared with vernalized plants, regardless of herbicide. Increased translocation to belowground survival structures is needed for effective control of C. juncea.

Greenhouse and laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the physiological basis for differential tolerance of four Zea mays L. hybrids to RPA 201772. Differences in Zea mays tolerance were quantified by determining the herbicide rate required to injure and reduce Z. mays height 50% (GR50). GR50 values indicated that the Z. mays hybrids ‘Pioneer 3751’ and ‘Pioneer 3737’ were less tolerant to RPA 201772 than the hybrids ‘Pioneer 3394’ and ‘Pioneer 3963.’ Experiments using 14C-RPA 201772 were conducted to determine if hybrid sensitivity was due to differential uptake, translocation, or metabolism of the herbicide. Differences in hybrid tolerance were primarily due to differential herbicide metabolism rates. The time required for 50% inactivation (T½) of RPA 201772 was 42 and 52 h for the more tolerant hybrids and 66 and 93 h for the more sensitive hybrids. Increased uptake of RPA 201772 was also a contributing factor to the sensitivity of one of the hybrids.

Leaf washing was used to determine relative rates of uptake of 2,4-D and dicamba dimethylamine salts by wheat following field application of a postemergence tank mixture (3:1) of 476 g ae ha-1 at the 4- to 5-leaf growth stage. Foliar herbicide deposits and total acid residues in the crop were determined the day of spraying as well as 2 and 7 d after spraying. Leaf washing of foliage samples collected on the day of spraying indicated that the crop/weed canopy intercepted 51% of the application, and that dicamba was taken up more quickly than 2,4-D. Within a few hours of spraying, approximately 80% of the deposited dicamba and 65% of 2,4-D were taken up by the crop. A 35-mm rain during the first 48 h after application reduced plant surface deposits of both herbicides by more than 98%. During this 2-d period, dicamba residues within the crop were metabolized more quickly than those of 2,4-D. There was little difference in effectiveness among water, 10% methanol, 25% methanol, or 90% methanol in removing plant surface deposits of 2,4-D and dicamba from wheat.

The influence of nitrogen form on bentazon uptake and toxicity to soybean cell cultures and medium pH was examined. Soybean cell growth was completely inhibited at 40 μM bentazon when cells were cultured in a Murashige and Skoog medium containing 20 mM ammonium and 38 mM nitrate. However, bentazon, up to 100 μM, did not affect the growth of cells cultured in B5 medium (Gamborg B5 medium containing 2 mM ammonium and 25 mM nitrate). Twenty-minute 14C-bentazon uptake experiments on 48- and 96-h-old cells demonstrated that 14C uptake was nitrogen-type dependent, with cells cultured in AMM medium (B5 medium containing 38 mM nitrate and 12 mM ammonium) accumulating 5 to 10 times more 14C than those in B5 or NIT media (B5 containing 50 mM nitrate). Differential bentazon uptake between ammonium and nitrate-containing media appears to be attributable to the effect of nitrogen form on pH. From an initial pH of 5.5, the pH of AMM medium decreased to 4 by 48 h. The pH of NIT or B5 medium increased to approximately 7 from 5.5. Changes in pH are likely attributable to cellular maintenance of ionic balance; NH4+ and NO3− uptake results in H+ and OH- efflux, respectively. Methylamine at 12 mM did not result in a decrease in medium pH. Bentazon, a weak acid (pKa 3.3), would be expected to penetrate the plasma-membrane faster in the molecular form at low pH. Support for a nitrogen pH theory is provided by the finding that 14C-bentazon uptake was similar for ammonium and nitrate-containing media when media were buffered.

Removing the epicuticular wax from mature pads (cladophylls) of Lindheimer pricklypear increased picloram absorption by four- to sixfold in the laboratory, while the addition of surfactant had little effect on absorption. Absorption decreased with increasing pH of the picloram solution, indicating that picloram diffused through the cuticle as the undissociated molecule. Picloram entered detached pads at the areoles more readily than through the surrounding cuticle. In the glasshouse, whole plants consisting of an old, mature pad supporting a young, growing pad absorbed picloram very slowly whether picloam was applied as a spray to old or young pads or to the soil. About 90 and 80% of the applied picloram remained on the waxy surface of old and new pads, respectively, and about 2% of the applied picloram was recovered from within the epicuticular wax after 30 days. Picloram concentrations within pads treated in the glasshouse were greater when the herbicide was applied to new pads (4.6 μg/g) than old pads (1.9 μg/g) after 30 days. More picloram was translocated basipetally from treated new pads to untreated old pads than in the opposite direction, but concentrations in untreated pads were low (<1 μg/g). Little picloram was absorbed by roots, compared to pads, and little was translocated into or out of roots. These results conflict with the view that the effectiveness of picloram for pricklypear control is attributable to extensive root uptake and acropetal transport. However, observations of plants 6 months after treatment indicated that soil applications were more effective than sprays in the glasshouse.

Control of monoecious and dioecious hydrilla [Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle # HYLLI] biotypes required a minimum 2 days of exposure to diquat (6,7-dihydrodipyrido [1,2-α:2′,1′-c] pyrazinediium ion) at a concentration of 0.25 mg/L under laboratory conditions. When treatment concentration was increased to 2.0 mg/L diquat, the minimum required contact time was reduced to 6 or 12 h depending on plant growth stage. Early growth emerging from sprouting tubers appeared to be more susceptible to diquat treatments. Herbicide uptake was linear during a 4-day exposure to 14C-diquat up to 1.0 mg/L, and the amounts of radioactivity in plant tissue varied proportionally with ambient levels of 14C-diquat in water. The lethal concentration of diquat in hydrilla tissue was estimated to be 81 μg/g plant dry weight when hydrilla was exposed to diquat at 0.25 mg/L for 2 days.

Repeated use of the preemergence herbicide triallate has selected for wild oat populations that are resistant (R) to field use rates. Field collections and an inbred R line were shown in greenhouse and petri dish dose response experiments to be 6- to 20-fold more tolerant to triallate than susceptible (S) lines. R populations and the inbred line were also resistant (8-fold) to the related thiocarbamate herbicide diallate, as well as to the chemically unrelated postemergence herbicide difenzoquat (60-fold). 14C-triallate uptake and translocation patterns were similar between R and S lines for the first 24 h after application. However, translocation of radioactivity was more rapid in S lines than R lines from 24 through 60 h after application. 14C-difenzoquat uptake was the same in R and S lines 12 h after application, but was 10 to 20% higher in R lines than S lines by 24 through 96 h after application. Similarly, translocation of radioactivity after 14C-difenzoquat application was 7 to 14% greater in R than S lines after 12 h, although translocated radioactivity amounts were not significantly different between R and S lines. The relatively minor differences in triallate and difenzoquat uptake and translocation patterns between R and S lines are most likely not of sufficient magnitude to explain the observed resistance levels.

Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] applied at 1.1 kg/ha to wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.) ‘Arthur 71′] plants increased height and fresh weight of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ‘Ransom′] seedlings planted in the pot at time of application of the glyphosate as the number of wheat plants treated increased from 5 to 30/pot. Height and fresh weight of the soybean seedlings also increased as the rate of glyphosate applied to wheat plants (5/pot) increased from 1.1 to 6.7 kg/ha. Increasing the rate of glyphosate from 1.1 to 6.7 kg/ha, however, reduced the height and fresh weight of soybeans when 30 wheat plants/pot were treated. In addition, when 6.7 kg/ha of glyphosate were applied to wheat plants, soybean-seedling plant height and fresh weight decreased as the density of wheat plants per pot increased from 5 to 30. The 14C-glyphosate exuded into the soil from treated wheat plants was characterized by thin-layer chromatography. Trace amounts of the radio-label were present on thin-layer plates of leaf and stem extracts of corn (Zea mays L.) plants, which were growing in the same pots with the treated wheat plants. The zone of activity had the same Rf value as the glyphosate standard.

Experiments were conducted to investigate the interactions of tank-mix combinations of sethoxydim plus the sodium salt of bentazon, the sodium salt of acifluorfen, fomesafen, imazaquin, or the ethyl ester of chlorimuron. Antagonistic interactions were observed with tank-mixes of sethoxydim plus bentazon, imazaquin, or chlorimuron applied for fall panicum, large crabgrass, and goosegrass control in field experiments. Antagonism was observed in greenhouse experiments with tank-mixes of sethoxydim plus bentazon or imazaquin applied to goosegrass. Bentazon, acifluorfen, and fomesafen reduced 14C-sethoxydim uptake by large crabgrass. However, imazaquin and chlorimuron did not affect 14C-sethoxydim uptake. In field experiments, no interactions occurred with tank-mixes of sethoxydim plus any of the broadleaf weed control herbicides applied to entireleaf or tall morningglory.

DC X2-5309 organosilicone adjuvant added at 1% (v/v) spray solution increased the efficacy of bentazon, pyridate, and terbacil on kochia in greenhouse trials. DC X2-5309 decreased the rain-free period needed after application of bentazon and bromoxynil to 6 and 1 h, respectively, and increased the uptake of 14C-bentazon and 14C-bromoxynil by kochia at 1, 3, 6, and 24 h after application compared with crop oil concentrate (COC). In field trials, bentazon and bromoxynil rates required to control equal amounts of kochia were reduced by half when adding DC X2-5309 compared with adding crop oil concentrate. DC X2-5309 added at 0.5% (v/v) spray solution with bentazon did not injure spearmint and controlled kochia equal to or better than bentazon with COC added at 1% (v/v) spray solution.

A system, including a specialized treatment vessel for pesticide uptake studies, was developed and experiments were carried out to determine the ability of Glomus intraradices (Schenck & Smith), G. vesiculiferium (Thaxter), and indigenous vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) fungi to influence 14C-atrazine uptake and transfer to corn. Uptake by root systems with and without VAM infection was compared to uptake by VAM hyphal systems by controlling access to 14C-atrazine-treated soil. Hyphal systems of Glomus species were able to remove 14C-residue from soil and transfer these to corn. Amount of 14C-residue transferred to corn through hyphal systems was highly correlated to the level of VAM root infection which varied among VAM species. In root systems, variations in 14C-residue uptake resulting from mycorrhization were largely explained in terms of the negative correlation between level of infection and root mass located in 14C-atrazine-treated soil. Allocation of 14C-residue to shoot tissues of corn was greater when 14C-residues were taken up through root systems rather than through hyphal systems. There were significant effects of VAM species on 14C-residue compartmentalization between methanol extractable and nonextractable portions of corn tissues. Data from these experiments in a confined soil system were related to VAM cost-benefit relationships and indicate a significant role for VAM in determining atrazine fate in agricultural systems.

The absorption and translocation of 14C-terbutryn [2-(tert-butylamino)-4-(ethylamino)-6-(methylthio)-s-triazine] and 14C-fluometuron [1,1-dimethyl-3-(α,α,α,-trifluoro-m-tolyl) urea] in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. ‘SJ-1′) and snapbean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Tenderette’) were studied. 14C-terbutryn supplied to the roots accumulated in the root system of both species. However, snapbean plants (sensitive) absorbed and translocated more 14C to the shoots than cotton (tolerant), followed by rapid distribution in the leaf mesophyll tissue. In cotton, the translocated 14C-terbutryn accumulated in stems, petioles, and leaf veins. Excised cotton roots absorbed more 14C-terbutryn than excised snapbean roots. The uptake and distribution pattern of root-applied 14C-fluometuron was similar in both species. Foliar application to the primary leaf of snapbeans and to one cotyledon of cotton resulted in 2% of 14C-terbutryn transported acropetally to younger leaves with no basipetal movement. Translocation of 14C-fluometuron from the site of foliar application was two or three times faster than terbutryn with significant basipetal transport in both species.

In most cases, a herbicide must traverse the cell wall, the plasma membrane, and organellar membranes of a plant cell to reach its site of action where accumulation causes phytotoxicity. The physicochemical characteristics of the herbicide molecule including lipophilicity and acidity, the plant cell membranes, and the electrochemical potential in the plant cell control herbicide absorption and accumulation. Most herbicides move across plant membranes via nonfacilitated diffusion because the membrane's lipid bilayer is permeable to neutral, lipophilic xenobiotics. Passive absorption of lipophilic, ionic herbicides or weak acids can be mediated by an ion-trapping mechanism where the less lipophilic, anionic form accumulates in alkaline compartments of the plant cell. A model that includes the pH and electrical gradients across plant cell membranes better predicts accumulation concentrations in plant cells of weak acid herbicides compared to a model that uses pH only. Herbicides also may accumulate in plant cells by conversion to nonphytotoxic metabolites, binding to cellular constituents, or partitioning into lipids. Evidence exists for herbicide transport across cell membranes via carrier-mediated processes where herbicide accumulation is energy dependent; absorption is saturable and slowed by metabolic inhibitors and compounds of similar structure.

A series of experiments was carried out on oat to test the efficacies of fluazifop and glyphosate against water-stressed plants, plants grown in low and high nitrogen (N), and plants treated with gibberellic acid (GA). In the laboratory, plants maintained at wilting point for 5 days before and 9 days after spraying with fluazifop (0.5 kg ae/ha) appeared healthy 32 days after herbicide application, while plants supplied with water throughout the experiment were completely chlorotic/necrotic and had main stem detachment from within the leaf sheaths. In the field, plants maintained unirrigated until 14 days after spraying with fluazifop (0.25 kg/ha) or glyphosate (0.18 kg ae/ha) showed greater tolerance of the herbicides than plants irrigated regularly. Under well-watered conditions in the laboratory and field, fluazifop (0.25 kg/ha) and glyphosate (0.18 kg/ha) were less toxic at low N than high N. Increased fluazifop activity at high N was associated with increased transport of herbicide to apical meristems. Addition of 200 μg GA into the leaf sheaths 2 days prior to spraying with fluazifop or glyphosate increased the efficacy of both herbicides at low N.

Picloram uptake, translocation, and efficacy were studied using greenhouse-grown Russian knapweed plants. Uptake of 14C-picloram, applied as discrete droplets to adaxial leaf surfaces of well-watered plants, averaged less than 10% of that applied. Most uptake occurred within 30 min of application. Uptake increased linearly with external picloram concentrations from 6.2 to 74.5 mM and was proportional to picloram concentration. Only about 10% of absorbed picloram was translocated out of the treated leaf of well-watered plants within 96 h, with approximately equal acropetal and basipetal translocation. Water stress before, at the time of, and after picloram application did not affect picloram uptake, but reduced total translocation and increased the relative amount translocated basipetally. Water stress also reduced picloram efficacy. Although Silwett L-77 increased picloram uptake into Russian knapweed leaves, it did not increase efficacy under water stress conditions.

Foliar absorption of picloram by broom snakeweed, a rangeland shrub, was investigated. Picloram uptake into leaf, axillary bud, and stem tissues was similar. In addition, picloram uptake by leaf tissue from greenhouse- and field-grown broom snakeweed did not differ. Picloram accumulated rapidly and absorption saturated between 15 min and 1 h of application; no further absorption occurred through 72 h with maximum uptake ca. 15% of applied picloram. Picloram content increased linearly with increasing external picloram concentration, implying that movement of the herbicide across the cuticle is via diffusion. Absorption was dependent on relative humidity and temperature with the greatest uptake at 94% relative humidity and 35 C, respectively. Absorption was pH dependent; picloram absorption was greatest at pH 4 and least at pH 8. In addition, picloram absorption was less at pH 3 compared to pH 4. These results provide evidence that picloram is absorbed across the cuticle via simple diffusion and absorption is dependent on environmental conditions and solution pH at and following application.

Low rates of diphenylether herbicides were previously shown to increase efficacy of glyphosate. Experiments were conducted to determine effect of lactofen on uptake of glyphosate and movement into tissues distal from the treatment area as measured by shikimate accumulation. As expected, glyphosate caused shikimate to accumulate, and sublethal rates of lactofen increased this effect. Cuticle abrasion had no effect on activity of glyphosate, alone or with lactofen, suggesting that the influence of lactofen was not in aiding penetration into the leaf.

Lanolin or lanolin + corn (Zea mays L.) starch rings are often used as barriers on leaves to prevent runoff of foliarly applied 14C-herbicide treatments. A preliminary experiment showed that 64 and 90% of the applied 2,4-D [(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid] and 57 and 87% of the applied glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] was adsorbed to or absorbed into a lanolin and lanolin + starch ring, respectively, during 6 days on a glass slide. Absorption and translocation of 2,4-D in hemp dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum L.) was decreased from 26% down to 16 or 17% of the total applied when a lanolin or lanolin + starch ring was used. Glyphosate absorption and translocation increased with the lanolin ring but not with the lanolin + starch ring. Distribution of the translocated 2,4-D and glyphosate was also altered by use of the ring barriers. Results indicate that one should avoid use of the lanolin ring in 14C-herbicide absorption studies to simulate field conditions.