the pyrimidine carboxylic acids of formula ( 1 ) are a new class of compounds having herbicidal activity . a number of pyrimidine carboxylic acid compounds are described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 300 , 907 b2 , u . s . patent application publication 2009 / 088322 a1 and u . s . patent application publication 2009 / 062125 a1 , including 6 - amino - 5 - chloro - 2 -( 4 - chloro - 2 - fluoro - 3 - methoxyphenyl ) pyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ( compound 1 ); 6 - amino - 2 -( 4 - chloro - 2 - fluoro - 3 - methoxyphenyl )- 5 - vinylpyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ( compound 2 ); 6 - amino - 2 -( 4 - trifluoromethylphenyl )- 5 - methoxypyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ( compound 3 ); 6 - amino - 2 -( 4 - chloro - 2 - fluoro - 3 - methoxyphenyl )- 5 - methoxypyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid methyl ester ( compound 4 ); 6 - amino - 2 -( 4 - chloro - 2 - fluoro - 3 - methoxyphenyl )- 5 - vinylpyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid methyl ester ( compound 5 ); 6 - amino - 2 - p - tolyl - 5 - methoxypyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ( compound 6 ); 6 - amino - 2 -( 4 - chloro - 3 - dimethylamino - 2 - fluorophenyl )- 5 - vinylpyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ( compound 7 ); 6 - amino - 2 -( 4 - chloro - 2 - fluoro - 3 - methoxyphenyl )- 5 - methoxypyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ( compound 8 ); 6 - amino - 2 -( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluorophenyl )- 5 - methoxypyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ( compound 9 ); and 6 - amino - 2 -( 4 - chloro - 2 , 3 - difluorophenyl )- 5 - methoxypyrimidine - 4 - carboxylic acid ( compound 10 ). the pyrimidine carboxylic acids of formula ( i ) control annual grass weeds and broadleaf weeds in wheat and barley but are also phytotoxic to wheat and barley at commercially herbicidal doses . cloquintocet is the common name for [( 5 - chloro - 8 - quinolinyl ) oxy ] acetic acid ; it is frequently used as the 1 - methylhexyl ester ( mexyl ). its safening activity is described in the pesticide manual , fourteenth edition , 2006 . cloquintocet is used as a safener in cereals . fenchlorazole is the common name for 1 -( 2 , 4 - dichlorophenyl )- 5 -( trichloromethyl )- 1h - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole - 3 - carboxylic acid . its safening activity is described in the pesticide manual , fourteenth edition , 2006 . fenchlorazole is used as a safener in wheat , rye and triticale . mefenpyr is the common name for 1 -( 2 , 4 - dichlorophenyl )- 4 , 5 - dihydro - 5 - methyl - 1h - pyrazole - 3 , 5 - dicarboxylic acid . its safening activity is described in the pesticide manual , fourteenth edition , 2006 . mefenpyr is used as a safener in wheat , rye , triticale and barley . the term herbicide is used herein to mean an active ingredient that kills , controls or otherwise adversely modifies the growth of plants . an herbicidally effective or vegetation controlling amount is an amount of active ingredient which causes an adversely modifying effect and includes deviations from natural development , killing , regulation , desiccation , retardation , and the like . the terms plants and vegetation include germinant seeds , emerging seedlings and established vegetation . the term safener , as used herein , refers to a compound that selectively protects crop plants from herbicide damage without significantly reducing activity in target weed species . herbicidal activity is exhibited by the compounds when they are applied directly to the plant or to the locus of the plant via foliar , soil , or water application at any stage of growth or before planting or emergence . the effect observed depends upon the plant species to be controlled , the stage of growth of the plant , the application parameters of dilution and spray drop size , the particle size of solid components , the environmental conditions at the time of use , the specific compound employed , the specific adjuvants and carriers employed , the soil type , and the like , as well as the amount of chemical applied . these and other factors can be adjusted as is known in the art to promote non - selective or selective herbicidal action . generally , it is preferred to apply the composition of the present invention postemergence to relatively immature undesirable vegetation to achieve the maximum control of weeds . cultivated plants which are to be protected from the adverse effect of undesirable plant growth may be damaged to a certain degree when an effective dose of herbicide is used . safening means preventing the adverse effect of an herbicide on the cultivated plants , i . e ., protecting the cultivated plants without , at the same time , noticeably influencing the herbicidal action on weeds to be combated . in the composition of this invention , the weight ratio of the safener to the pyrimidine carboxylic acid of formula ( i ) at which the herbicidal effect on the cultivated plant is safened lies within the range of between about 1 : 16 and about 4 : 1 . preferably , the weight ratio of cloquintocet to the pyrimidine carboxylic acid of formula ( i ) at which the herbicidal effect on the cultivated plant is safened lies within the range of between about 1 : 4 and about 2 : 1 . the rate at which the safened composition is applied will depend upon the particular type of weed to be controlled , the degree of control required , and the timing and method of application . in general , the composition of the invention can be applied at an application rate of between about 1 gram per hectare ( g / ha ) and about 280 g / ha based on the total amount of pyrimidine carboxylic acid of formula ( i ) and safener in the composition . the pyrimidine carboxylic acid of formula ( i ) and the safener of the present invention can be applied either separately or together as part of a multipart herbicidal system . the herbicide - safener mixture of the present invention can be applied in conjunction with one or more other herbicides to control a wider variety of undesirable vegetation . when used in conjunction with other herbicides , the composition can be formulated with the other herbicide or herbicides , tank mixed with the other herbicide or herbicides or applied sequentially with the other herbicide or herbicides . some of the herbicides that can be employed in conjunction with the safened composition of the present invention include 2 , 4 - d , amidosulfuron , beflubutamid , benazolin , bentazone , bifenox , bromoxynil , butachlor , butafenacil , carfentrazone - ethyl , chlormequat , chlortoluron , cinidon - ethyl , clodinafop - propargyl , clopyralid , cyanazine , cyclosulfamuron , dicamba , diclofop - methyl , diflufenican , diflufenzopyr , dimefuron , diuron , ethoxysulfuron , fenoxaprop , fenoxaprop - ethyl , fenoxaprop - ethyl + isoxidifen - ethyl , fenoxaprop - p - ethyl , florasulam , flucarbazone , flucetosulfuron ( lgc - 421530 , flufenacet , flumetsulam , flupyrsulfuron , flurtamone , imazamethabenz , imazamox , imazapic , imazapyr , imazaquin , imazethapyr , imazosulfuron , indanofan , iodosulfuron , iodosulfuron - ethyl - sodium , ioxynil , isoproturon , isoxaben , lactofen , linuron , mcpa , mecoprop - p , mesosulfuron , mesosulfuron - ethyl sodium , metosulam , metribuzin , metsulfuron , metsulfuron - methyl , orthosulfamuron , oxyfluorfen , pendimethalin , penoxsulam , picolinafen , pinoxaden , primisulfuron , profluazol , propoxycarbazone , prosulfocarb , prosulfuron , pyraflufen ethyl , pyribenzoxim ( lgc - 40863 ), pyroxasulfone , pyroxsulam , quinmerac , sulfosulfuron , thifensulfuron , thifensulfuron - methyl , topramezone , tralkoxydim , triasulfuron , tribenuron , and tribenuron - methyl . the safened composition of the present invention can , further , be used in conjunction with glyphosate , glufosinate , dicamba , imidazolinones , sulfonylureas or 2 , 4 - d on glyphosate - tolerant , glufosinate - tolerant , dicamba - tolerant , imidazolinone - tolerant , sulfonylurea - tolerant or 2 , 4 - d - tolerant crops . it is generally preferred to use the herbicide - safener mixture of the present invention in combination with herbicides that are selective for the crop being treated and which complement the spectrum of weeds controlled by these compounds at the application rate employed . it is further generally preferred to apply the safened composition of the present invention and other complementary herbicides at the same time , either as a combination formulation or as a tank mix . in practice , it is preferable to use the safened composition of the present invention in mixtures containing an herbicidally effective amount of the herbicidal components along with at least one agriculturally acceptable adjuvant or carrier . suitable adjuvants or carriers should not be phytotoxic to valuable crops , particularly at the concentrations employed in applying the compositions for selective weed control in the presence of crops , and should not react chemically with herbicidal components or other composition ingredients . such mixtures can be designed for application directly to weeds or their locus or can be concentrates or formulations that are normally diluted with additional carriers and adjuvants before application . they can be solids , such as , for example , dusts , granules , water dispersible granules , or wettable powders , or liquids , such as , for example , emulsifiable concentrates , solutions , emulsions or suspensions . suitable agricultural adjuvants and carriers that are useful in preparing the herbicidal mixtures of the invention are well known to those skilled in the art . some of these adjuvants include , but are not limited to , crop oil concentrate ( mineral oil ( 85 %)+ emulsifiers ( 15 %)); nonylphenol ethoxylate ; benzylcocoalkyldimethyl quaternary ammonium salt ; blend of petroleum hydrocarbon , alkyl esters , organic acid , and anionic surfactant ; c 9 - c 11 alkylpolyglycoside ; phosphated alcohol ethoxylate ; natural primary alcohol ( c 12 - c 16 ) ethoxylate ; di - sec - butylphenol eo - po block copolymer ; polysiloxane - methyl cap ; nonylphenol ethoxylate + urea ammonium nitrate ; emulsified methylated seed oil ; tridecyl alcohol ( synthetic ) ethoxylate ( 8eo ); tallow amine ethoxylate ( 15 eo ); peg ( 400 ) dioleate - 99 . liquid carriers that can be employed include water , toluene , xylene , petroleum naphtha , crop oil , acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , cyclohexanone , trichloroethylene , perchloroethylene , ethyl acetate , amyl acetate , butyl acetate , propylene glycol monomethyl ether and diethylcnc glycol monomethyl ether , methyl alcohol , ethyl alcohol , isopropyl alcohol , amyl alcohol , ethylene glycol , propylene glycol , glycerine , n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n , n - dimethyl alkylamides , dimethyl sulfoxide , liquid fertilizers and the like . water is generally the carrier of choice for the dilution of concentrates . suitable solid carriers include talc , pyrophyllite clay , silica , attapulgus clay , kaolin clay , kieselguhr , chalk , diatomaceous earth , lime , calcium carbonate , bentonite clay , fuller &# 39 ; s earth , cotton seed hulls , wheat flour , soybean flour , pumice , wood flour , walnut shell flour , lignin , and the like . it is usually desirable to incorporate one or more surface - active agents into the compositions of the present invention . such surface - active agents are advantageously employed in both solid and liquid compositions , especially those designed to be diluted with carrier before application . the surface - active agents can be anionic , cationic or nonionic in character and can be employed as emulsifying agents , wetting agents , suspending agents , or for other purposes . surfactants conventionally used in the art of formulation and which may also be used in the present formulations are described , inter alia , in “ mccutcheon &# 39 ; s detergents and emulsifiers annual ,” mc publishing corp ., ridgewood , n . j ., 1998 and in “ encyclopedia of surfactants ,” vol . i - iii , chemical publishing co ., n . y ., 1980 - 81 . typical surface - active agents include salts of alkyl sulfates , such as diethanolammonium lauryl sulfate ; alkylarylsulfonate salts , such as calcium dodecylbenzenesulfonate ; alkylphenol - alkylene oxide addition products , such as nonylphenol - c 18 ethoxylate ; alcohol - alkylene oxide addition products , such as tridecyl alcohol - c 16 ethoxylate ; soaps , such as sodium stearate ; alkylnaphthalene - sulfonate salts , such as sodium dibutyl - naphthalenesulfonate ; dialkyl esters of sulfosuccinate salts , such as sodium di ( 2 - ethylhexyl ) sulfosuccinate ; sorbitol esters , such as sorbitol oleate ; quaternary amines , such as lauryl trimethylammonium chloride ; polyethylene glycol esters of fatty acids , such as polyethylene glycol stearate ; block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide ; salts of mono and dialkyl phosphate esters ; vegetable oils such as soybean oil , rapeseed oil , olive oil , castor oil , sunflower seed oil , coconut oil , corn oil , cotton seed oil , linseed oil , palm oil , peanut oil , safflower oil , sesame oil , tung oil and the like ; and esters of the above vegetable oils . other adjuvants commonly used in agricultural compositions include compatibilizing agents , antifoam agents , sequestering agents , neutralizing agents and buffers , corrosion inhibitors , dyes , odorants , spreading agents , penetration aids , sticking agents , dispersing agents , thickening agents , freezing point depressants , antimicrobial agents , and the like . the compositions may also contain other compatible components , for example , other herbicides , plant growth regulants , fungicides , insecticides , and the like and can be formulated with liquid fertilizers or solid , particulate fertilizer carriers such as ammonium nitrate , urea and the like . the concentration of the active ingredients in the herbicide - safener mixture of the present invention is generally from 0 . 001 to 98 percent by weight . concentrations from 0 . 01 to 90 percent by weight are often employed . in compositions designed to be employed as concentrates , the active ingredients are generally present in a concentration from 5 to 98 weight percent , preferably 10 to 90 weight percent . such compositions are typically diluted with an inert carrier , such as water , before application . the diluted compositions usually applied to weeds or the locus of weeds generally contain 0 . 0001 to 1 weight percent active ingredient and preferably contain 0 . 001 to 0 . 05 weight percent . the present compositions can be applied to weeds or their locus by the use of conventional ground or aerial dusters , sprayers , and granule applicators , by addition to paddy or irrigation water , and by other conventional means known to those skilled in the art . seeds of the desired test plant species were planted in sun gro metromix ® 306 planting mixture , which typically has a ph of 6 . 0 to 6 . 8 and an organic matter content of about 30 percent , in plastic pots with a surface area of 103 . 2 square centimeters ( cm 2 ). when required to ensure good germination and healthy plants , a fungicide treatment and / or other chemical or physical treatment was applied . the plants were grown for 7 - 36 days ( d ) in a greenhouse with an approximate 14 - hour ( h ) photoperiod which was maintained at about 18 ° c . during the day and 17 ° c . during the night . nutrients and water were added on a regular basis and supplemental lighting was provided with overhead metal halide 1000 - watt lamps as necessary . the plants were employed for testing when they reached the second or third true leaf stage . treatments consisted of the acids or esters of compounds 1 - 10 and cloquintocet - mexyl ( cqc - m ), fenchlorazole - ethyl , mefenpyr - diethyl alone and in combination . weighed amounts of acid or methyl esters of the compounds of formula ( i ) were dissolved in a volume of 97 : 3 v / v acetone / dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ) to obtain concentrated solutions . if the test compound did not dissolve readily , the mixture was warmed and / or sonicated . the concentrated solutions of the test compound were diluted with the addition of an aqueous mixture containing acetone , water , isopropyl alcohol , dmso , agri - dex crop oil concentrate , and triton ® x - 77 surfactant in a 64 . 7 : 26 . 0 : 6 . 7 : 2 . 0 : 0 . 7 : 0 . 01 v / v ratio . test compounds were diluted to the appropriate application rate with a dilution solution which was prepared by mixing the appropriate volume of 97 : 3 v / v acetone / dmso and the appropriate volume of an aqueous mixture containing acetone , water , isopropyl alcohol , dmso , agri - dex crop oil concentrate , and triton ® x - 77 surfactant in a 64 . 7 : 26 . 0 : 6 . 7 : 2 . 0 : 0 . 7 : 0 . 01 v / v ratio . compound requirements are based upon a 12 nit application volume at a rate of 187 liters per hectare ( l / ha ). the concentrated solutions of the safener were prepared following the same procedure . weighed amounts of safener were dissolved in a volume of 97 : 3 v / v acetone / dmso to obtain concentrated safener solutions . spray solutions of the herbicide safener and test compound mixtures were prepared by adding the concentrated solutions to the appropriate amount of dilution solution to form 12 ml spray solution with active ingredients in combinations . formulated compounds were applied to the plant material with an overhead mandel track sprayer equipped with 8002e nozzles calibrated to deliver 187 l / ha over an application area of 0 . 503 square meters ( m 2 ) at a spray height of 18 inches ( 43 centimeters ( cm )) above average plant canopy . control plants were sprayed in the same manner with the solvent blank . the treated plants and control plants were placed in a greenhouse as described above and watered by sub - irrigation to prevent wash - off of the test compounds . after 20 - 22 d , the condition of the test plants as compared with that of the control plants was determined visually and scored on a scale of 0 to 100 percent where 0 corresponds to no injury and 100 corresponds to complete kill . colby &# 39 ; s equation was used to determine the herbicidal effects expected from the mixtures ( colby , s . r . calculation of the synergistic and antagonistic response of herbicide combinations . weeds 1967 , 15 , 20 - 22 .). the following equation was used to calculate the expected activity of mixtures containing two active ingredients , a and b : a = observed efficacy of active ingredient a at the same concentration as used in the mixture . b = observed efficacy of active ingredient b at the same concentration as used in the mixture . some of the compounds tested , application rates employed , plant species tested , and results are given in table 1 through table 24 .
herbicidal injury caused by 6 - amino - 2 -- 5 - substituted - 4 - pyrimidinecarboxylates in wheat and barley is reduced with the use of a safener selected from the group consisting of cloquintocet , fenchlorazole , mefenpyr and mixtures thereof .