Cyprosulfamide effectively alleviates flusulfinam phytotoxicity in maize with enhanced dissipation

Flusulfinam (FLU) is a novel HPPD-inhibiting herbicide that exhibits excellent efficacy against a broad spectrum of weeds in paddy fields, with particular activity against grasses and sedges. However, its phytotoxicity to crops other than rice restricts its application scenarios. This study demonstrates that the safener cyprosulfamide (CSA) could effectively alleviate FLU-induced phytotoxicity in maize, without compromising its high efficacy against weeds in maize field. Specifically, CSA alleviates FLU-induced oxidative stress and photosynthetic damage in maize. Moreover, CSA could accelerate FLU dissipation in maize, reducing its half-life from 0.94 d to 0.87 d. Transcriptomic and qRT-PCR analyses further revealed that CSA significantly upregulated detoxification-associated P450 genes. CYP72A28 and CYP94B12 were identified as candidate CYP450 genes potentially associated with FLU detoxification based on their transcriptional responses to CSA co-application; meanwhile, total CYP450 content was significantly increased ( p  < 0.05). Our findings highlight the FLU + CSA combination as a safe and efficient formulation for sustainable weed control in maize fields.