Basf launches Luximo herbicide with new mechanism of action

Basf researchers developed the Luximo herbicide, with a new mechanism of action to control weeds. Already approved in Australia since 2019, farmers in the European Union and the United Kingdom should be the next to benefit from this important tool for grass control. The launch in Brazil and Argentina should also take place in the coming years, initially for wheat and rice crops, but with extension to soybeans and other large crops.

In the ongoing effort to combat weed resistance, unique mechanisms of action are essential to protect crops and food sources for a growing population. Basf researchers dedicated to finding viable solutions to this challenge have arrived at Luximo, a herbicide that has received the first new mechanism of action classification from the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee (HRAC) since 1985.

“Providing farmers with a new tool like Luximo – the first herbicide with a new mechanism of action in almost 35 years – is an exciting time for the entire industry and will offer farmers the opportunity to overcome the resistance of the most problematic grasses in their cropping systems. ”, said Rex Liebl, responsible for Global Herbicide Development at Basf’s Agricultural Solutions Division.

“Luximo is an essential complement to weed management solutions. It was designed to become the backbone of effective and sustainable programs in the control of invasive plants, where the rotation of several mechanisms of action is essential to combat resistance”, explains Liebl. 

Thanks to its novel mechanism of action, Luximo has no known cross-resistance. It provides soil residual control against a broad spectrum of grasses in cereal crops, including resistant and difficult to control grasses such as ryegrass and barnyard grass.

Luximo is the first active ingredient in the “Group Q” or “30” class of HRAC's new mechanism of action, which represents the inhibition of enzymes of fatty acid Thioesterase (FAT) synthesis. These enzymes are vital to the development and functions of the plant cell membrane. Its inhibition stops the germination and, consequently, the emergence of weed plants.

HRAC is an international body founded by the agrochemical industry, helping to protect the productivity and quality of crops worldwide by supporting efforts to control herbicide-resistant weeds. By collecting, evaluating and sharing information about weed resistance, HRAC serves as a comprehensive and trusted source for those feeding a growing population.