Evaluation of Florpyrauxifen-benzyl on Herbicide-Resistant and Herbicide-Susceptible Barnyardgrass Accessions

Florpyrauxifen-benzyl is a new herbicide under development in rice that will provide an alternative mode of action to control barnyardgrass. Multiple greenhouse experiments evaluated florpyrauxifen-benzyl efficacy on barnyardgrass accessions collected in rice fields across Arkansas, and to evaluate its efficacy on herbicide-resistant biotypes. In one experiment, florpyrauxifen-benzyl was applied at the labeled rate of 30 g ai ha(-1) to 152 barnyardgrass accessions collected from 21 Arkansas counties. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl at 30 g ai ha(-1) effectively controlled barnyardgrass and subsequently reduced plant height and aboveground biomass. In a dose-response experiment, susceptible-, acetolactate synthase (ALS)-, propanil-, and quinclorac-resistant barnyardgrass biotypes were subjected to nine rates of florpyrauxifen-benzyl ranging from 0 to 120 g ai ha(-1). The effective dose required to provide 90% control, plant height reduction, and biomass reduction of the susceptible and resistant biotypes fell below the anticipated labeled rate of 30 g ai ha(-1). Based on these results, quinclorac-resistant barnyardgrass as well as other resistant biotypes can be controlled with florpyrauxifen-benzyl at 30 g ai ha(-1). Overall, results from these studies indicate that florpyrauxifen-benzyl can be an effective tool for controlling susceptible and currently existing herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass biotypes in rice. Additionally, the unique auxin chemistry of florpyrauxifen-benzyl will introduce an alternative mechanism of action in rice weed control thus acting as an herbicide-resistance management tool.