Methods and compositions to defoliate crop plants and minimize plant regrowth following defoliation

摘要

Concurrent or sequential application of an auxin transport inhibitor and a defoliating agent synergistically improve defoliation of crop plants and minimize crop plant regrowth. Preferably, the auxin transport inhibitor is a semicarbazone compound. The defoliating agent may be an ethylene response or ethylene-type response agent such as a phosphonic acid derivative. Most preferably, the semicarbazone compound is diflufenzopyr and the phosphonic acid derivative is ethephon (i.e., ethephon (2-chloroethyl) phosphonic acid).