Modes of Herbicide Action

Abstract

Weed Management is one of the most important crop intervention practice to counter crop loss. Different physical, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods are employed for the successful management of weeds. Among these chemical weed management practices focus on managing weeds using several chemical formulations which are commonly known as herbicides. Herbicides control the weed species through interference, mitigation, and disruption of the biochemical and physical processes of a cell. When herbicides are applied to a plant, it gets absorbed through plant surfaces and gets translocated to the specific site of action where it produces toxicity in the physiological and biochemical processes and ultimately check the growth and development of plant species. The sequential process from the introduction of herbicides to till it kills a plant is known as herbicides modes of action. The herbicides modes of action can be studied on nine different headings where the chemical group present in each herbicide acts on specific sites and interferes with the normal functioning of such sites ultimately checking the growth and development of a plant. This chapter is aimed at decoding the specific herbicide action in relation to its chemical family, translocation, action mechanism, and injury produced in the weed species.