A series of pyrrolidine-2,4-dione and piperidine-2,4-dione derivatives were prepared and evaluated for their herbicidal activities where some of these compounds exhibited good bioactivity against Echinochloa crus-galli in comparison with sulcotrione. Quantitative structure-activity relationship studies were performed on these compounds using physicochemical parameters (hydrophobic, electronic, and Taft) as independent parameters and herbicidal activity as a dependent parameter, where herbicidal activity correlated best (r > 0.8) with hydrophobic (pi(o) + pi(p)), steric (Es), STERIMOL (B4), indicator (H(M)), van der Waals volume (V), and electronic parameter (sigma(m) + sigma(p)) in this set of molecules; the optimum van der Waals volume for R(2) is about 41.8 A3; when B4 is equal to 3, the target molecule possessed the lowest herbicidal activity.