Antibiotic analogue puts researchers on path to ending herbicide drought

Farmer spraying soybean field with pesticides and herbicides

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Research flags DNA gyrase as a new target for pesticides

Scientists in Australia and the UK have found the first new herbicidal mode of action in over 20 years by modifying the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. They successfully synthesised a ciprofloxacin analogue that selectively targets an enzyme required for plant growth, yet has decreased antibacterial activity.