ABSTRACT
The auxin analog herbicides were the first selective organic herbicides to be developed. Biochemical activity and phytotoxicity — There is an enormous catalog of different effects on cell biochemistry produced by auxin analog herbicides, the list including virtually every kind of cellular metabolite. Despite the occurrence of weeds resistant to the auxin analog herbicides for nearly 40 years, very little research has been done on the potential impact that this might have on agriculture. Investigations into the mechanisms of resistance to mecoprop have followed two distinct paths: those in which various physiological processes have been studied; and those in which the biochemical action of the herbicide has been determined. The mechanisms of resistance in crops are generally better understood than in weeds because these characteristics have been deliberately introduced as a result of genetic engineering. The other line of investigation mentioned earlier concerns the biochemical action of mecoprop.
