Understanding the Differential Response of Setaria viridis L. (green foxtail) and Setaria pumila Poir. (yellow foxtail) to Pyroxsulam

Green foxtail [Setaria viridis (L) Beauv.] and yellow foxtail [Setaria pumila (Poir.) Roem. & Schult.] are among the most abundant and troublesome annual grass weeds in cereal crops in the Northern Plains of the United States and the Prairie Provinces of Canada. Greenhouse and laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the differential responses of both weed species to foliar applications of the new triazolopyrimidine sulfonamide acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicide, pyroxsulam, and to determine the mechanism(s) of differential weed control. Foliar applications of pyroxsulam resulted in >90% control of yellow foxtail at rates between 7.5 and 15 g ai ha–¹, whereas the same rates resulted in a reduced efficacy on green foxtail (≤81%). The absorption and translocation of [¹⁴C]pyroxsulam in green and yellow foxtail were similar and could not explain the differential whole-plant efficacy. Studies with [¹⁴C]pyroxsulam revealed a higher percentage of absorbed pyroxsulam was metabolized into an inactive metabolite in the treated leaf of green foxtail than in the treated leaf of yellow foxtail. Metabolism studies demonstrated that, 48 h after application, 50 and 35% of pyroxsulam in the treated leaf was converted to 5-hydroxy-pyroxsulam in green and yellow foxtail, respectively. The acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibition assay showed that ALS extracted from green foxtail was more tolerant to pyroxsulam than the enzyme extracted from yellow foxtail was. The in vitro ALS assay showed IC₅₀ values of 8.39 and 0.26 μM pyroxsulam for green and yellow foxtail, respectively. The ALS genes from both green and yellow foxtail were sequenced and revealed amino acid differences; however, the changes are not associated with known resistance-inducing mutations. The differential control of green and yellow foxtail following foliar applications of pyroxsulam was attributed to differences in both metabolism and ALS sensitivity.