Review and Analysis: Evaluation of the Impacts and Consequences of Using Agricultural Herbicides as Military Chemical Weapons in Second Indochina War

The legacy of the human misery caused by the application of the herbicides including Agent Purple and Agent Orange contaminated with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD and Agent Blue, the arsenic-based herbicide, sprayed over the jungles, rice fields, and hamlets of Vietnam is still haunting us today. Why did this happen? Could it have been prevented? Was it necessary United States military strategy? Was it an intentional decision to inflict this blight on the enemy soldiers and the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian civilians, to poison their land and cause generations of harm? Alternatively, was it an unpreventable accident in the march of military history? What patterns in the U.S. government’s thought process could be identified as the cause, which led to the decision to use these herbicides as tactical chemical weapons? If the introduction of herbicide (chemical) weapons had not been made, would the outcome of the Vietnam War and the Secret Wars in Laos and Cambodia have been any different? The objective of this treatise is to outline the role of world events and backgrounds and the role of the leaders, U.S. military, CIA, USDA, U.S. State Department, the U.S. President appointed Ambassadors to Vietnam and Laos, chemical companies, and President Diệm’s Republic of Vietnam (RVN) government and military. Their collective advice led to the decision to use herbicides as military and environmental chemical weapons in the Second Indochina War. Were the National interests achieved by U.S. military strategy in the RVN using herbicide weapons worth the long-term environmental and human health consequences in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos? Did it impact the outcome of the Second Indochina War?

Research Progress on Plant Source Herbicide Adjuvants

As the important components of pesticide adjuvants, vegetable oil and its derivative adjuvants will be the focus of future development of herbicide adjuvants due to their superiority in good affinity with plants, strong biological degradability, few risk of damage, environrnental safety and ability to improve the weed control efficient. The research progress and application status of the plant source herbicide adjuvants were summarized, as well as the weeding enhancement mechanism and the effects on the environment and non-target organisms, and the existing problems and development trends were reviewed.

An Overview of Research on Microbial Herbicide

The development of microbial herbicide for weed control has been serious- ly regarded all over the world and has made rapid progress in recent years. This paper presents a comprehensive review on domestic and abroad research progress of microbial herbicide and mainly introduces the microbial herbicide products and mi- crobial sources with commercialization potential, and then proposes an outlook for their development tendency and application prospect.

Chemical Control of Herbicide Monosulfuron Plus Propazine 44% WP against Weeds in Millet Fields and Study on Factors Influencing Yield of Millet

[Objective] The paper was to resolve the poor efficacy or phytotoxicity problems in promotion of herbicide monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP. [Method] Using orthogonal test and Duncan＇s new multiple range statistical analysis with four factors four levels and three factors two levels, the effects of factors such as herbi- cide dose, irrigation water volume, quality of soil preparation and soil moisture content on chemical control of monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP against weeds and millet yield were compared in the test. [Result] Seven factors all had great impact on control effect of monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP against weeds, of which her- bicide dose, irrigation water volume, quality of soil preparation and soil moisture content were the most important factors affecting millet yield. According to millet yield and economic benefit, the optimal scheme to ensure safe, efficient and economic control of monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP against weeds was as follows： the dose of monosulfuron plus propazine 44% WP was 1 800 g/hm2, the soil was treat- ed after sowing and before seedling emergence; the soil should be smooth and sol- id; the soil moisture should reach 15%; the fields should not be irrigated after herbi- cide application, and the damage of weeds in millet fields could be effectively con- trolled within 45 d during high efficacy duration, especially the damage of dicotyledonous weeds. [Conclusion] The study provided useful information for comprehensive technology of weeds control and ensuring high yield and good harvest of millet.

Glyphosate-Resistant Giant Ragweed(Ambrosia trifida L.):2,4-D Dose Response and Control with Postemergence Herbicides in Soybean

Glyphosate resistant giant ragweed is an increasing problem in glyphosate resistant cropping systems in southwestern Ontario. The postemergence herbicides registered for use in soybean in Ontario do not provide consistent control of glyphosate resistant giant ragweed. There is limited research on the lowest effective rate of 2,4-D for the control of glyphosate resistant giant ragweed. Consequently, the objectives of this study were a) to determine the efficacy of herbicides applied postemergence for the control of glyphosate resistant giant ragweed in glyphosate resistant soybean, and b) to determine the lowest effective rate of 2,4-D for the control of glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed. Ten postemergence herbicide combinations and seven rates of 2,4-D were evaluated in field studies conducted in 2011 and 2012 at six locations confirmed with glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed. The post emergence herbicides evaluated did not provide acceptable/consistent control. Of the herbicides evaluated, glyphosate plus cloransulam-methyl provided 26% to 70% control 8 WAA of glyphosate resistant giant ragweed, which was the best of the herbicides combinations evaluated. The doses of 2,4-D required to reduce giant ragweed shoot dry weight by 50, 80 and 95% were 142, 310 and 1048 g a.e. ha-1, respectively.

Development of herbicide resistance genes and their application in rice

Rice is one of the most important food crops in the world.Weeds seriously affect the rice yield and grain quality.In recent years,there are tremendous progresses in the research and application of herbicideresistant genes in rice worldwide.This article reviews the working mechanisms of six herbicides(glyphosate,glufosinate,acetolactate synthase inhibitor herbicides,acetyl-Co A carboxylase inhibitor herbicides,hydroxyhenylpyruvate dioxygenase(HPPD)inhibitor herbicides and dinitroaniline herbicides),the resistance mutations of the corresponding herbicide-target genes,and the herbicide detoxification mechanisms by non-target genes.Examples are provided on herbicide-resistant rice materials obtained by transformation of exogenous resistance genes,by artificial mutagenesis and mutant screening,and by modifying the target genes through gene editing.This paper also introduces the current application of herbicide-resistant rice,points out problems that may be caused by utilization of herbicide resistant rice and solutions to the problems,and discusses the future prospects for the development of herbicideresistant rice.

Trp_(548)Met mutation of acetolactate synthase in rice confers resistance to a broad spectrum of ALS-inhibiting herbicides

Herbicide resistance in crop plants is valuable for integrated weed management in agriculture. Herbicide resistant rice, in particular, is important to management of weedy rice, a close relative of cultivated rice and a noxious weed prevalent in rice fields that remains challenging to farmers worldwide. Herbicide resistant plants can be obtained through transgenic approach or by mutagenesis of regular plant and screening of mutants with elevated resistance to herbicide. In this study, we conducted ethyl methyl sulfonate mutagenesis(EMS) to elite indica cultivar Huanghuazhan(HHZ) and screened for mutants resistant to imazapic, a herbicide that can inhibit the acetolactate synthase(ALS) in plants. We obtained three mutants of Os ALS gene that have not been reported previously in rice. One of the mutants, with Trp_(548) changed to Met(W_(548)M), was analyzed in more details in this study. This mutation had no negative effect on the plant physiology and morphology as well as rice yield. Compared with the imidazolinone-resistant mutant S_(627)N(Ser_(627) changed to Asn) that has been deployed for Clearfield rice development, W_(548)M mutant showed high levels of resistance to a broad spectrum of five families of ALSinhibiting herbicides, in addition to a higher level of resistance to herbicides of the imidazolinone family.The herbicide-resistance was stably inherited by crossing into other rice lines. Thus, the W_(548)M mutation provides a valuable resource for breeding of herbicide resistant rice and weed management.

Glyphosate-based herbicide: a risk factor for demyelinating conditions of the peripheral nervous system?

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide originally introduced to the market in 1974 by the agrochemical company Monsanto. More than 40 years down the line, glyphosate has become one of the most economically meaningful herbicides, with a global use of more than 1.8 million pounds in 2014 (Benbrook, 2016). In non resistant plants, glyphosate is widely believed to exert its herbicidal effect via inhibition of the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, an enzyme of the shikimate pathway required for the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids in plants and most microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria and some protozoans.

Control Effect Evaluation of Herbicides for Malignant Weed Nut Grass in Sugarcane Field

In order to screen herbicides with ideal safety characteristics to control malignant weed nut grass in sugarcane field, 20% thifensulfuron methyl WP and 65% MCPA·ametryne·diuron WP were selected for the field efficacy trial. The results showed that 20% thifensulfuron methyl WP and 65% MCPA·ametryne·diuron WP had good control effect on nut grass. The optimum dosage of 20% thifensulfuron methyl WP and 65% MCPA.ametryne-diuron WP was 1 125 g/hm^2 （effective ingredients 225 g） and 3 150 g/hm^2 （effective ingredients 2 047.5 g）, respectively. These two herbicides should be dissolved in 675 kg water per hectare and applied in the vigorous growth period of nut grass （height 10-15 cm） with oriented stem leaf spraying. The control effect after 15 days could be above 87.9%.

Control Effects of 3 Kinds of Herbicides against Weeds in Dogbane (Apocynum venetum) Field

[ Objective] The paper was to explore the control effects of 3 kinds of herbicides against weeds in dogbane （Apocynum venetum） field. [ Method ] Using haloxyfop-R-mithyl and quizalofop-ethyl EC specifically killing monagenns gramineous weeds and chipton specifically killing dicotyledonous broad-leaf weeds, the control test against weeds in 2-year-old dogbane field was carried out. [ Result ] Haloxyfop-R-mithyl had good control effect against gramincous weeds, and its control effect against both barnyard weed （ Echinochloa crusgalli） and green bristleweed （ Setaria viridis ） was greater than 35.0% ; the control effects of quizalofop- ethyl EC against barnyard weed and green bristleweed were 14.8% and 28.6%, respectively; chipt0n had good control effect against Chenopodium album, and the control effect reached 30.8%. Moreover, 3 herbicides did not cause damage to dogbane. [ Conclusion] The study provide theoretical basis for completing cultivation technique of dogbane.

Control of Glyphosate and Acetolactate Synthase Resistant Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) in Soybean (Glycine max L.) with Preplant Herbicides

A population of common ragweed in Ontario was confirmed to be resistant to glyphosate in 2011. Group 2 [acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors] resistant common ragweed was first confirmed in Ontario in 2000. Previously, glyphosate provided excellent control of common ragweed in glyphosate resistant soybean but with the confirmation of glyphosate resistant (GR) common ragweed, alternative herbicides need to be evaluated. Eight field trials with preplant herbicides were completed over two years (2013 and 2014) in fields with confirmed GR common ragweed. Tank-mixes of glyphosate and linuron or metribuzin provided 88% - 99% and 86% - 98% control 4 weeks after application (WAA) and 80% - 92% and 80% - 95% control 8 WAA, respectively. However, these herbicides also had among the highest environmental impact of the herbicides tested. Based on the results of these studies, GR common ragweed can be controlled with residual herbicides when applied preemergence in soybean. Currently, there are no post emergence herbicides that provide adequate control of GR common ragweed, therefore, preemergence herbicides with residual are essential for full season control.

Primary Research on Screening of Herbicides in Summer Sowing Broomcorn Millet Field

[ Objective] The paper was to select the suitable herbicides for summer sowing breomcom millet and reduce labor costs. [ Method ] More than 20 kinds of herbicides commonly used in fields had been preliminarily screened, and six kinds of herbicides were selected for further field herbicidal effect experiment. [ Re- suit] The herbicidal effects of 2,4-D butylate, MCPA-Na, tribenuren, 2,4-D isooctyl ester and monosulfuren plus prepasine against Pharbitis nil （ lAan. ） Choisy, Amaranth mangostanus L. and Portulaca oleracea L. were greater than 70%, and the weed control effect on fresh weight by leaf and stem spray of tribenu- ran and MCPA-Na were greater than 96% after herbicide application for 20 d. [ Concluslon] The study provides the guidance for production of breomcom millet.

Evaluation of Commercial Active Carbons for the Removal of s-Triazine Herbicides from Waters

The adsorption capacity of powdered active carbons, used in a water treatment facility, for the removal of the triazine herbicides propazine, prometryn and prometon, was evaluated. Kinetic studies showed that some of the carbon samples used could be suitable in the practice for the treatment of moderate contents of the herbicides in contaminated waters. Equilibrium studies showed that the data fit the Frumkin isotherm. The results show that in the adsorption process there are repulsive lateral interactions that depend mainly of the adsorbate molecules rather than the nature or distribution of adsorption sites. Such lateral interactions seem to be established mainly between the isopropyl groups of adjacent molecules, being of the same order for the three molecules. The effectiveness of the active carbons was evaluated by determining the percentage of reduction achieved by each product.

Differential Susceptibility of <i>Conyza bonariensis</i>Biotypes to Glyphosate and ALS-Inhibiting Herbicides in Argentina

The aim of this study was to compare control of three stages biotypes (rosette, bolting, and repro- ductive stage) of Conyza bonariensis glyphosate susceptible biotype (S) and tolerant biotype (T) to glyphosate with glyphosate and mixtures of acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting. For glyphosate, the dose-response curves confirmed that injury of the biotype T relative to biotype S was signifi- cantly lower for both rosette and bolting stages. Resistance index (RI) for this herbicide was approximately 4 for both weed stages. At bolting, for both biotypes doses much higher than the recommended dose were required. For acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides, at the rosette stage, control of both biotypes was excellent with doses significantly lower than the recommended rate. All herbicides within this group showed a very low I50 relative to the recommended rate. These results indicate that biotypes difficult to control with glyphosate at the rosette and bolting stage may be controlled using acetolacte synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides. Control for the reproductive stage was poor. A management program based on the combination of glyphosate with pre- and post-emergence acetolactate synthase (ALS) herbicides may be effective to control the weed.

Effect of Two Herbicides on the Growth of Early Seedlings of Rye(Secale cereale)

[Objective]The aim was to study the effect of herbicide on the growth of early seedlings of rye（Secale cereale）.[Method]Effect of two kinds of herbicide（Atrazine and APM）on seedling growth of rye was investigated at the physiological,biochemical and cellular level.[Result]The Atrazin significantly decreased the contents of chlorophyll a,b and soluble proteins.Rye seeds were treated with 0.01-1 mg/L Atrazine for 16 h,the contents of chlorophyll a and b decreased from 1.26（a）,0.49（b）mg/g FW（control）to 1.15（a）,0.46（b）mg/g FW（0.1 mg/L）and 0.81（a）,0.33（b）mg/g FW（1.0 mg/L）.The content of soluble protein decreased with the increasing concentration of Atrazin.Atrazin had no significant influence on the cell division and chromosome structure variation.The contents of chlorophyll a,b and soluble proteins had no significantly change under the treatment of APM,but the number of chromosome structure variation such as chromosome bridge,multipolar division cells,lagging chromosome and unequal division cells increased significantly.[Conclusion]The critical concentration of Atrazine was 0.1-1.0 mg/L and 4 mg/L of APM in rye.

Research Status of Amide Herbicides and Their Safeners

The widespread use of chemical herbicides especially amide herbicides has promoted the innovation of chemical weeding in farmland, but amide herbicides have brought invisible chemical injuries to crops in addition to weeding. Herbi-cidesafeners should be applied at the same time with herbicides to ensure herbi- cides will not injure crops while controlling weeds. The research and application of safeners is of great significance to resolving or alleviating the negative effects of herbicides on crop growth. The overview, mechanism, applied research progress and existing problems of amide herbicides and their safenars are summarized.

Characterization of a Strain Capable of Degrading a Herbicide Mixture of Quinclorac and Bensulfuronmethyl

A bacterial strain,designated as LS,was isolated from a contaminated soil and was found to be capable of utilizing quinclorac,bensulfuronmethyl,and a mixture of the two as carbon and energy sources for growth. Strain LS was identified as Ochrobactrum sp. based on its physiological-biochemical properties,16S rDNA sequences,and phylogenetic analysis. The extent of degradation of quinclorac and bensulfuronmethyl at initial concentrations of 1.5 and 0.1 g L-1 was 90% and 67%,respectively,as measured by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) . When a herbicide mixture of 0.34 g L-1 quinclorac and 0.02 g L-1 bensulfuronmethyl was applied as carbon sources,quinclorac and bensulfuronmethyl were degraded at 95.7% and 67.5%,respectively. It appears that quinclorac is utilized more easily in a mixture than in a single state. The optimal temperature for growth of strain LS was 37 ℃. Strain LS grew well at pH 6 to 9 and had the highest degradation level for quinclorac and bensulfuronmethyl at an initial pH of 7 and 8,respectively. Addition of 0.25 g L-1 yeast extract could promote the growth and extent of degradation of quinclorac and bensulfuronmethyl by strain LS. Strain LS also showed the capability to degrade other aromatic compounds such as catechol,propisochlor,4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid sodium(MCPA-Na) and imazethapy. The isolate LS shows a huge potential to be used in bioremediation for treating complex herbicide residues.

Inheritance and molecular characterization of resistance to AHAS- inhibiting herbicides in rapeseed

Rapeseed is a very important oil crop in China; however, its production is challenging due to the absence of effective weed management strategies. This is predominantly because of a shortage of herbicide resistance genes. Acetohydroxyacid synthase （AHAS） herbicides inhibit AHAS, a key enzyme involved in branched-chain amino acid synthesis that is required for plant growth. A rapeseed line designated M342 with AHAS herbicide resistance was developed through seed muta- genesis and was studied to assess the level and mode of inheritance of the resistance and to identify the molecular basis of resistance. M342 possessed a high level of cross-resistance to sulfonylureas （SUs） and imidazolinones （IMIs）. This resistance was due to AHAS insensitivity to these herbicides and was inherited as a dominant trait conferred by a single nuclear-encoded gene. Molecular analysis revealed the presence of a Trp574Leu mutation in M342, and an allele-specific cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence （AS-CAPS） marker was developed and cosegregated with herbicide resistance in the F2, BC1, and BC2 populations. This mutation altered the transcript levels of BnAHAS1 and BnAHAS3 in M342 compared with those in the wild type, but it did not affect the agronomic or quality traits. The simple genetic inheritance of this mutation and the availability of the cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence （CAPS） marker and herbicide resistance gene should facilitate the development of herbicide-resistant rapeseed cultivars for effective weed control in China.

Characterization of a strain of Sphingobacterium sp. and its degradation to herbicide mefenacet

A bacterium(designated strain Y1) degrading acetanilide herbicide mefenacet was isolated from aerobic sludge. Based on the analyses of partial 16S rRNA gene, cellular fatty acid and BIOLOG-GN, and general physiological and biochemical characteristics, strain Y1 was identified as Sphingobacterium multivolum. Strain Y1 was able to degrade mefenacet used as sources of carbon and energy. Degradation of mefenacet was accompanied by producing the metabolites N-methylaniline and an unidentified compound with molecular weight 205, indicating a metabolic pathway of mefenacet initiated by hydrolysis of amido bond.

The Toxic Mechanism of High Lethality of Herbicide Butachlor in Marine Flatfish Flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus

The toxic mechanism of herbicide butachlor to induce extremely high lethality in marine flatfish flounder, Paralichthys Olivaceus, was analyzed by histopathological examination, antioxidant enzymes activities and ATP content assay. Histopathological examination of gill, liver and kidney of exposed fishes showed that gill was a target organ of butachlor. The butachlor seriously impaired the respiration of gills by a series of lesions such as edema, lifting and detachment of lamellar epithelium, breakdown of pillar cells, and blood congestion. The dysfunction of gill respiration caused suffocation to the exposed flounder with extremely high acute lethality. Antioxidant enzyme activity assay of the in vitro cultured flounder gill （FG） ceils exposed to butachlor indicated that butachlor markedly inhibited the antioxidant enzyme activities of Superoxide dismutase （SOD）, catalase （CAT） and glutathione peroxidase （GPX）. Furthermore, along with the decline of antioxidant enzyme activities, ATP content in the exposed FG cells decreased, too. This infers that the oxidative stress induced by butachlor can inhibit the production of cellular ATP. Similar decrease of ATP content was also observed in the exposed flounder gill tissues. Taken together, as in FG cells, butachlor possibly induced a short supply of ATP in pillar cells by inhibiting the antioxidant enzyme activities and then affecting the contractibility of the pillar cells, which in turn resulted in the blood congestion and suffocation of exposed flounder.