Soybean Sensitivity to Florpyrauxifen-benzyl during Reproductive Growth and the Impact on Subsequent Progeny

To address recent concerns related to auxin herbicide drift onto soybean, a study was developed to understand the susceptibility of the reproductive stage of soybean to a new auxin herbicide compared with dicamba. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl is under development as the second herbicide in a new structural class of synthetic auxins, the arylpicolinates. Field studies were conducted to (1) evaluate and compare reproductive soybean injury and yield following applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl or dicamba across various concentrations and reproductive growth stages and (2) determine whether low-rate applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl or dicamba to soybean in reproductive stages would have similar effect on the progeny of the affected plants. Soybean were treated with 0, 1/20, or 1/160, of the 1X rate of florpyrauxifen-benzyl (30 g ai ha(-1)) or dicamba (560 g ae ha(-1)) at R1, R2, R3, R4, or R5 growth stage. Soybean plant height and yield was reduced from 1/20X dicamba across all reproductive stages. High drift rates (1/20X) of florpyrauxifen-benzyl also reduced soybean plant height >25% and yield across R1 to R4 stages. Germination, stand, plant height, and yield of the offspring of soybean plants treated with dicamba and florpyrauxifen-benzyl were significantly affected. Dicamba applied at a rate of 1/20X at R4 and R5 resulted in 20% and 35% yield reduction for the offspring, respectively. A similar reduction occurred from florpyrauxifen-benzyl applied at R4 and R5 at the 1/20X rate, resulting in 15% to 24% yield reduction for the offspring, respectively. Based on these findings, it is suggested that growers use caution when applying these herbicides in the vicinity of reproductive soybean.