CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY-RELATIONSHIPS OF HERBICIDE SAFENERS

The discovery and commercial success of safeners against thiolcarbamate herbicide injury to corn has stimulated a rapid progress and opened new possibilities for further research and development in the last decade. Compounds with new chemistry, increased efficacy, and a broader selectivity spectrum were synthesized and developed for agricultural use. Structure-activity relationship studies helped to optimize their chemical properties and to understand their biological modes of action. Several examples indicate close similarity between chemical structures possessing herbicidal and safener properties. In some cases this differentiation may be marginal, as shown in crops pretreated with low herbicide doses leading to safening effects. In other examples, however, structural optima for safening and herbicidal efficacy can be clearly differentiated.