In the beginning: the multiple discovery of the first hormone herbicides

Abstract

The discovery of the first systemic or hormone herbicides, 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, and MCPA, initiated an agricultural revolution and modern weed science. The finding of these herbicides was a striking case of multiple independent discovery by four groups of workers in two countries, the United Kingdom and the United States: William G. Templeman and associates at Imperial Chemical Industries; Philip S. Nutman and associates at the Rothamsted Agricultural Experiment Station; Franklin D. Jones at the American Chemical Paint Company; and Ezra Kraus, John Mitchell, and associates at the University of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Because of wartime and commercial secrecy, the usual procedures of scientific publication and patent disclosure were not followed; instead, the first scientific report on these herbicides occurred in a publication by workers who were not original discoverers. Considerable confusion consequently resulted concerning the discovery and the discoverers. This confusion has not been completely dispelled in subsequent years. The present report summarizes the complete story, clarifies the chronology of the discoverers and their publications, and makes the case that all four groups of workers deserve credit for this revolutionary advance. The scientific background of the discovery and events in its immediate aftermath, especially the ticklish patent situation, are also briefly chronicled.

Herbicides as Weed Control Agents: State of the Art: I. Weed Control Research and Safener Technology: The Path to Modern Agriculture

“…The herbicidal activity of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid was detected in the 1940s (Troyer, 2001). Table I provides an overview of selected chemical families, selected representatives, and earliest usage reports according to Büchel et al (1977) and Cremlyn (1991), Worthington and Hance (1991).…”

Genetic loss or pharmacological blockade of testes-expressed taste genes causes male sterility

“…Although no effects of fibrates on reproduction or fertility have been reported, no study has specifically examined fertility in patients receiving antilipid treatment. A second group of compounds structurally similar to lactisole are phenoxy-auxin herbicides, which are used extensively in crop agriculture and in landscape turf management (17,18). Approximately 55 million pounds of phenoxy herbicides are used annually in the United States (18).…”

Fitotoxicidad De Aceites Esenciales Y Extractos Acuosos De Plantas Mediterráneas Para El Control De Arvenses

“…Durante los años , se desarrollaron gran número de productos químicos que ayudaron a optimizar los rendimientos de las cosechas. En lo que respecta a herbicidas, en 1946 se lanzó al mercado un compuesto clorado, el 2,4-D (ácido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético), primer herbicida sistémico o hormonal (Troyer, 2001), selectivo para el control de dicotiledóneas y al que siguió un amplio elenco de materias activas, como las triazinas y acetanilidas, que aún hoy están en uso.…”