There is a compelling need across several industries to substitute non‐degradable, intentionally added microplastics with biodegradable alternatives. Nonetheless, stringent performance criteria in actives’ controlled release and manufacturing at scale of emerging materials hinder the replacement of polymers used for microplastics fabrication with circular ones. Here, the authors demonstrate that active microencapsulation in a structural protein such as silk fibroin can be achieved by modulating protein protonation and chain relaxation at the point of material assembly. Silk fibroin micelles’ size is tuned from several to hundreds of nanometers, enabling the manufacturing—by retrofitting spray drying and spray freeze drying techniques—of microcapsules with tunable morphology and structure, that is, hollow‐spongy, hollow‐smooth, hollow crumpled matrices, and hollow crumpled multi‐domain. Microcapsules degradation kinetics and sustained release of soluble and insoluble payloads typically used in cosmetic and agriculture applications are controlled by modulating fibroin's beta‐sheet content from 20% to near 40%. Ultraviolet‐visible studies indicate that burst release of a commonly used herbicide (i.e., saflufenacil) significantly decreases from 25% to 0.8% via silk fibroin microencapsulation. As a proof‐of‐concept for agrochemicals applications, a 6‐day greenhouse trial demonstrates that saflufenacil delivered on corn plants via silk microcapsules reduces crop injury when compared to the non‐encapsulated version.
In Arkansas, resistance to protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting herbicides in Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats. is mainly due to target site mutations. Although A. palmeri PPO-mutations are well investigated, the cross-resistance that each ppo mutant endows to weed populations is not yet well understood. We aimed to evaluate the response of PPO-resistant A. palmeri accessions, harboring the ppo2 mutations ΔG210 and G399A, to multiple PPO-inhibiting herbicides. Six resistant and one susceptible field accessions were subjected to a dose–response assay with fomesafen, and selected survivors from different fomesafen doses were genotyped to characterize the mutation profile. The level of resistance to fomesafen was determined and a cross-resistance assay was conducted with 1 and 2 times the labeled doses of selected PPO herbicides. The accession with higher predicted dose to control 50% of the population (ED50) had a higher frequency of ΔG210-homozygous survivors. Survivors harboring both mutations, and those that were ΔG210-homozygous, incurred less injury at the highest fomesafen rate tested (1120 g ai ha−1). The populations with a high frequency of ΔG210-homozygous survivors, and those with individuals harboring ΔG210 + G399A mutations, exhibited high potential for cross-resistance to other PPO herbicides. The new PPO–herbicide chemistries (saflufenacil, trifludimoxazin) generally controlled the PPO-resistant populations.
Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibiting herbicides remain an important and useful chemistry 60 years after their first introduction. In this review, based on topics introduced at the WSSA 2021 symposium titled “A History, Overview, and Plan of Action on PPO Inhibiting Herbicides”, we discuss the current state of PPO inhibiting herbicides. Renewed interest in the PPO inhibiting herbicides in recent years, due to increased use and increased resistance cases, has led to refinements in knowledge regarding the mechanism of action of PPO inhibitors. Herein we discuss the importance of the two isoforms of PPO in plants, compile a current knowledge of target site resistance mechanisms, discuss non target site resistance cases and review crop selectivity mechanisms. To effectively study and compare PPO inhibitor resistance cases, consistent and reproducible greenhouse screening and target site mutation assays are necessary. To this end we cover best practices in screening to accurately identify resistance ratios and properly interpret common screens for point mutations. The future of effective and sustainable PPO inhibitor use relies on development of new chemistries that maintain activity on resistant biotypes and the promotion of responsible stewardship of PPO inhibitors both new and old. We present the biorational design of the new PPO inhibitor trifludimoxazin to highlight the future of PPO inhibitor development and discuss the elements of sustainable weed control programs using PPO inhibitors as well as how responsible stewardship can be incentivized. The sustained use of PPO inhibitors in future agriculture relies on the effective and timely communication from mode of action and resistance research to agronomists, extension workers, and farmers themselves.
Eight cultivars of buddleia were exposed to ozone (O3) concentrations up to 375 ppb for two 4-hour periods on consecutive days in 1995. Visible injury to all cultivars consisted of small, discrete spots, reddish purple in color, on the adaxial leaf surface. Cultivars differed in sensitivity to acute O3 exposure with ‘Empire Blue’ and ‘Opera’ being the most tolerant and ‘Black Knight’, ‘Nanho Blue’, ‘Pink Delight’, and ‘Royal Red’ the most sensitive. Severe injury occurred on the most sensitive cultivars with O3 exposures of 250 or 375 ppb. At the highest O3 concentration, the severity index (SI), an indicator of foliar injury, ranged from 1.3 (less injury) for ‘Opera’ to 4.6 (more injury) for ‘Pink Delight’. An exposure-response study with ‘Black Knight’ resulted in visible injury increasing as both concentration and number of exposures increased, with the most severe injury to plants given the most exposures (5 days) to the highest concentration (375 ppb, SI of 6.3).
A study was conducted over a two-year period to determine how time of pruning affects cold hardiness of butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii (Franchet) ‘Royal Red’). Plants were pruned in November, January, or March, and pruned and non-pruned plants were exposed to six freezing temperatures two weeks after pruning treatments were applied. In addition, plants pruned in previous seasons were included in subsequent freezing treatments. Plants were rated for injury 2 or 3 weeks after treatment (WAT), and for mortality at 6 WAT. In fall 2001, at −6C (21.2F), injury ratings were higher in pruned than non-pruned plants. At all other treatment temperatures, injury to pruned and non-pruned plants was similar. In fall 2001, mortality increased with decreasing temperatures and was higher in pruned plants than in non-pruned controls, regardless of treatment temperature. In winter and spring 2002, injury and mortality increased with decreasing temperatures, but were not affected by pruning treatments. In fall 2002, temperature decreased as injury rating and mortality increased, regardless of pruning treatment and pruned plants had a higher injury rating and mortality than non-pruned across all temperatures. In winter 2003, injury rating and mortality increased with decreasing temperatures and pruning did not affect either. Spring 2003 plants, which had deacclimated prior to freeze treatment, were not affected by pruning or freezing treatments.
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