| Abstract: | Herbicide safeners selectively protect crop plants from herbicide damage without reducing activity in target weed species. This paper provides an outline of the discovery and uses of these compounds, before reviewing literature devoted to defining the biochemical and physiological mechanisms involved in safener activity. Emphasis is placed on the effects of safeners on herbicide metabolism and their interactions with enzyme systems, such as cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases and glutathione-S-transferases. Attention is drawn to the potential wide-ranging applications of safeners and, in particular, their use as powerful research tools with which to identify and manipulate those mechanisms which contribute to herbicide selectivity and resistance. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry |
