Herbicidal weed control from combinations of fluroxypyr and ALS inhibitors

1. A herbicidal composition comprising a herbicidally effective amount of (a) fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof and (b) an ALS-inhibiting herbicide, wherein the ALS-inhibiting herbicide is selected from the group consisting of diclosulam, cloransulam, chlorimuron, and thifensulfuron, and an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof,

wherein when (b) is diclosulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, the weight ratio of (a) and (b) is from about 2.8:1 to about 45.5:1,

when (b) is cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, the weight ratio of (a) and (b) is from about 2.8:1 to about 182:1,

when (b) is chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, the weight ratio of (a) and (b) is from about 2.8:1 to about 91:1, and

when (b) is thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, the weight ratio of (a) and (b) is from about 1:1 to about 334:1.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is fluroxypyr-meptyl.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ALS inhibiting herbicide is diclosulam.

4. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the weight ratio of fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof to diclosulam is within the range of from about 5:1 to about 23:1.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ALS-inhibiting herbicide is cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof.

6. The composition of claim 5 , wherein the weight ratio of fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof to cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is within the range of from about 2.8:1 to about 91:1.

7. The composition of claim 6 , wherein the weight ratio of fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof to cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is within the range of from about 5.7:1 to about 91:1.

8. The composition of claim 5 , wherein the cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, is cloransulam-methyl.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ALS-inhibiting herbicide is chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof.

10. The composition of claim 9 , wherein the weight ratio of fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof to chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is within the range of from about 2.8:1 to about 45.5:1.

11. The composition of claim 9 , wherein the chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is chlorimuron-ethyl.

12. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ALS-inhibiting herbicide is thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof.

13. The composition of claim 12 , wherein the weight ratio of fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof to thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is within the range of from about 1.3:1 to about 167:1.

14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein the weight ratio of fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof to thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is within the range of from about 91:1 to about 167:1.

15. The composition of claim 12 , wherein the thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is thifensulfuron-methyl.

16. The composition of claim 1 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof and the ALS-inhibiting herbicide are the only herbicidal active ingredients.

17. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising a herbicidally effective amount of an additional herbicide.

18. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising an agriculturally acceptable adjuvant.

19. A method of controlling undesirable vegetation comprising contacting the undesirable vegetation or the locus thereof with a herbicidally effective amount of (a) fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof and (b) an ALS-inhibiting herbicide, wherein the ALS-inhibiting herbicide is selected from the group consisting of diclosulam, cloransulam, chlorimuron, or thifensulfuron, or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof,

wherein when (b) is diclosulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, the weight ratio of (a) and (b) is from about 2.8:1 to about 45.5:1,

when (b) is cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, the weight ratio of (a) and (b) is from about 2.8:1 to about 182:1,

when (b) is chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, the weight ratio of (a) and (b) is from about 2.8:1 to about 91:1, and

when (b) is thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof, the weight ratio of (a) and (b) is from about 1:1 to about 334:1.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is fluroxypyr-meptyl.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the ALS inhibiting herbicide is diclosulam.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 25 g ae/ha to about 560 g ae/ha, and diclosulam is applied at an application rate from about 1 g ai/ha to about 50 g ai/ha.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 25 g ae/ha to about 200 g ae/ha, and diclosulam is applied at an application rate from about 1.1 g ai/ha to about 25.2 g ai/ha.

24. The method of claim 19 , wherein the ALS-inhibiting herbicide is cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 25 g ae/ha to about 560 g ae/ha, and cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 1 g ai/ha to about 50 g ai/ha.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 25 g ae/ha to about 100 g ae/ha, and cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 1.1 g ai/ha to about 8.8 g ai/ha.

27. The method of claim 24 , wherein the cloransulam or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is cloransulam-methyl.

28. The method of claim 19 , wherein the ALS-inhibiting herbicide is chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 25 g ae/ha to about 560 g ae/ha, and chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 1 g ai/ha to about 90 g ai/ha.

30. The method of claim 29 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 25 g ae/ha to about 100 g ae/ha, and chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 1.1 g ai/ha to about 8.8 g ai/ha.

31. The method of claim 28 , wherein the chlorimuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is chlorimuron-ethyl.

32. The method of claim 19 , wherein the ALS-inhibiting herbicide is thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof.

33. The method of claim 32 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 25 g ae/ha to about 560 g ae/ha, and thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 0.5 g ai/ha to about 25 g ai/ha.

34. The method of claim 33 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 17.5 g ae/ha to about 100 g ae/ha, and thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is applied at an application rate from about 0.6 g ai/ha to about 13 g ai/ha.

35. The method of claim 32 , wherein the thifensulfuron or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof is thifensulfuron-methyl.

36. The method of claim 19 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof and the ALS-inhibiting herbicide are applied post-emergence to the undesirable vegetation or crop.

37. The method of claim 19 , wherein fluroxypyr or an agriculturally acceptable ester or salt thereof and the ALS-inhibiting herbicide are applied pre-emergence to the undesirable vegetation or a crop.

38. The method of claim 19 , wherein the undesirable vegetation comprises a herbicide resistant or tolerant weed.

39. The method of claim 38 , wherein the resistant or tolerant weed is a biotype with resistance or tolerance to single or multiple herbicides or single or multiple chemical classes, or inhibitors of single or multiple herbicide modes-of-action.

40. The method of claim 39 , wherein the resistant or tolerant weed is a biotype resistant or tolerant to acetolactate synthase (ALS) or acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) inhibitors, photosystem II inhibitors, acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitors, photosystem I inhibitors, 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase inhibitors, microtubule assembly inhibitors, lipid synthesis inhibitors, protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitors, carotenoid biosynthesis inhibitors, very long chain fatty acid (VLCFA) inhibitors, phytoene desaturase (PDS) inhibitors, glutamine synthetase inhibitors, 4-hydroxyphenyl-pyruvate-dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitors, mitosis inhibitors, cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors, herbicides with multiple modes-of-action, quinclorac, arylaminopropionic acids, difenzoquat, endothall or organoarsenicals.

41. The method of claim 19 , wherein the undesirable vegetation is controlled in soybean, canola, sunflower, sugarbeet, alfalfa, corn, cotton, wheat, barley, oats, sorghum or rice, a non-crop, perennial crop, fruiting crop, or plantation crop area, comprising contacting undesirable vegetation or the locus thereof in a row crop, drilled crop, fallow-bed, fallow land, non-crop, perennial crop, fruiting crop, or plantation crop area.

42. The method of claim 41 , wherein the undesirable vegetation is controlled in a non-crop area and the non-crop area is a pasture, grassland, rangeland, fallow land, fencerow, parking area, tank farm, storage area, right-of-way, utility area, turf, forestry, aquatics, industrial vegetation management (IVM) or fallow-bed.

43. The method of claim 42 , wherein the undesirable vegetation is contacted prior to planting a crop.

44. The method of claim 41 , wherein the undesirable vegetation is controlled in a perennial crop area and foliage of the perennial crop is not contacted when the undesirable vegetation is contacted.

45. The method of claim 44 , wherein the perennial crop is a tree and vine orchard.

46. The method of claim 45 , wherein the tree and vine orchard is selected from citrus, grapes, almond, apple, apricot, avocado, beechnut, Brazil nut, butternut, cashew, cherry, chestnut, chinquapin, crab apple, date, feijoa, fig, filbert, hickory nut, kiwi, loquat, macadamia nut, mayhaws, nectarine, olives, peach, pear, pecan, persimmon, pistachio, plum, pomegranates, prune, quince and walnut.

47. The method of claim 41 , wherein the undesirable vegetation is controlled in a fruiting crop area and foliage of the fruiting crop is not contacted when the undesirable vegetation is contacted.

48. The method of claim 47 , wherein the fruiting crop is selected from blueberries, guava, papaya , strawberries, taro, blackberries and raspberries.

49. The method of claim 41 , wherein the undesirable vegetation is controlled in the plantation crop area and foliage of a plantation crop is not contacted when the undesirable vegetation is contacted.

50. The method of claim 49 , wherein the plantation crop is selected from coffee, cacao, rubber and palm oil.

51. The method of claim 19 , further comprising contacting the undesirable vegetation with a herbicidally effective amount of an additional herbicide.