Development of a rice herbicide, fenquinotrione

Fenquinotrione is a novel rice herbicide that was discovered and developed by Kumiai Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. It can control a wide range of broadleaf and sedge weeds with excellent rice selectivity at 30 g a.i./10 a and is as effective as the wild type on acetolactate synthase inhibitor-resistant weeds. Our metabolic and molecular biological studies showed that CYP81A6-mediated demethylation and subsequent glucose conjugation are responsible for the safety of fenquinotrione in rice. Fenquinotrione was registered in Japan in 2018, and various products containing fenquinotrione have been launched. With its high efficacy and excellent rice selectivity, we believe that fenquinotrione will contribute to efficient food production in the future.