FMC unveils details of Dodhylex, a ″New Mode of Action Herbicide,″ at 24^th Herbishow

Multinational company FMC presented details of its active ingredient Dodhylex for the first time in Brazil during the 24^th Herbishow. The event, organized by Grupo IDEA in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, featured special coverage by AgroPages.

Under the theme ″New Active. A New Story,″ FMC’s Sugarcane Marketing Manager, Maurício Oliveira, emphasized that it has been over 30 years since a ″new mode of action (MOA) herbicide was launched in agriculture.″ He recalled that the last company to introduce a new mode of action was FMC in the 1980s, and ″now, once again, FMC takes the lead with the launch of Dodhylex.″

″FMC is introducing a completely new technology, entirely different from anything currently on the market: a new mode of action after more than three decades. There’s a lot of talk about new technologies, but they were often specific to a single crop. Here, FMC brings Dodhylex, which is an unprecedented mode of action for agriculture as a whole,″ noted Oliveira.

Further, Oliveira said, Dodhylex is the globally patented commercial brand for the active ingredient tetflupyrolimet. As the only herbicide in Group 28 of the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee (HRAC), Dodhylex will serve as a new rotational tool in managing resistance.

″We will begin conducting extensive work in 2025 and 2026 to generate data and build critical mass. This will allow us to introduce a new product shortly after. The Dodhylex formulation we are developing for sugarcane was specifically tailored for this crop. We already have results to share, and they are fantastic,″ added Oliveira.

The active ingredient Dodhylex was initially launched globally for rice. However, due to FMC’s long-standing tradition and market leadership in sugarcane in Brazil, the multinational decided to adapt this technology for one of the country’s most important tropical crops, said Oliveira.

MOA

The Dodhylex active herbicide inhibits the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), which is the fourth step in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. It demonstrates potent, low nanomolar inhibition, confirmed on heterologously expressed and purified enzymes.

Plants can synthesize pyrimidines de novo or break down no-longer-needed cellular components, like RNA. Since the de novo pathway is energy-intensive, cells use it only during rapid growth and division. Mature cells can meet their metabolic needs through salvaging processes that do not involve the DHODH enzyme, the target of Dodhylex active. This makes the herbicide most effective against weed seedlings, when most cells are rapidly growing and dividing.

The blockage of pyrimidine biosynthesis following Dodhylex active application disrupts normal cellular function, resulting in the cessation of plant growth and/or seedling emergence. Research shows that it is quickly absorbed by roots and shoots, exhibits excellent xylem mobility and stability within plants, and is primarily taken up by seedling shoot and root organs.

First in Rice

Last month, FMC Corporation announced that it received regulatory approval for the herbicide Keenali, developed with the Dodhylex active ingredient, in Peru for the application on rice. This approval marks the first global registration of both the active ingredient and commercial product for this innovative herbicide technology.

FMC has submitted regulatory applications for Dodhylex in other Latin American countries, including Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador, with plans for additional countries next year. Regulatory applications have also been filed in India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. Earlier this year, FMC received conditional approval for the herbicide Keenali in the Philippines.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)