Do you want to know an interesting thing about Atrazine? It’s one of the most controversial, well-studied, and broadly used herbicides around the world.
Much of the controversy is around the impacts of Atrazine on wild animals, particularly amphibians. Atrazine is mostly used on farms and is well-known for killing weeds. In this article, you will learn some interesting facts regarding this popular herbicide, how it works, and the most important thing, what is Atrazine used for. To know more about this, go through this whole article.
What Is Atrazine?
Atrazine is known as a chlorinated triazine systemic herbicide, which has a molecular weight of 215.7. If you want to know what Atrazine controls, you need to know that it controls broadleaf weeds and annual grasses before they emerge. Triazines is a man-made systemic herbicide. Pure Atrazine is a white powder that does not have any odor. It isn’t very flammable, volatile, or reactive.
What plants or crops can Atrazine be used on? Atrazine can be used on crops like sugarcane, pineapples, corn, macadamia nuts, and sorghum. It can also be used for evergreen forest regrowth and applied to evergreen tree farms.
We have found out that Atrazine will dissolve in water. It is built in the laboratory and doesn’t occur naturally. The primary manufacturer of Atrazine is Syngenta.
In the United States, Atrazine was the herbicide that was most frequently found contaminating drinking water as of 2001. Reports suggest that it’s an endocrine disruptor, which is an agent that has the ability to change the natural hormonal system.
However, in 2006 the US EPA stated,
“the risks associated with the pesticide residues pose a reasonable certainty of no harm.”
In July 2011, US EPA commented,
“the agency’s scientific bases for its regulation of atrazine are robust and ensure prevention of exposure levels that could lead to reproductive effects in humans.”
What Plants Or Crops Atrazine Can Be Used On?
If you want to know what crops is Atrazine used on, then you need to be aware that atrazine-containing pesticide products are registered to use on many agricultural crops, with the maximum use on sorghum, field corn, sugarcane, and sweet corn.
In addition, atrazine products are registered to use on guava, wheat, and macadamia nuts, as well as for non-agricultural uses like a nursery or ornamental and turf such as residential lawns and golf courses. This pesticide has been used to prevent weeds from developing on both railroad rights-of-way and highways.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency now has restrictions on the application and usage of Atrazine. In 1958, Atrazine was first registered to use by the people. While glyphosate might be the most frequently used pesticide to control invasive weeds in the US, close behind is another pesticide known as Atrazine.
As glyphosate has been so broadly used, plants and crops have evolved through time to become more resistant to it. Thus, Atrazine was created to combat those resistant plants. In actual fact, several agricultural experts advised mixing glyphosate with Atrazine to battle against glyphosate-resistant plants.
Atrazine is cheap, and as it is a pre-emergence herbicide, Atrazine keeps weeds from contesting with crops right from the start of the growing season. It is projected that Atrazine can raise crop production by up to 6%. In order to lessen soil erosion and manage weeds, this herbicide has also been applied in conservation tillage systems.
There are more than 300 atrazine-containing products. Several of these can just be used by experts. Some are available to use for residential purposes. Atrazine products might be labeled for use on lawns, soil, athletic fields, and roadsides. Products containing Atrazine can be granules, ready-to-use sprays, liquids, or concentrates. Even you can also use atrazine herbicide to kill Bermuda grass and vegetation.
Always keep in mind that you need to read the label of the atrazine-containing products before using them.
As you can see, according to National Pesticide Information Center,
“Skin exposure to Atrazine may cause mild irritation, redness, or swelling.7,8 Atrazine is low in toxicity if it touches the skin. It is not considered a skin sensitizer.”
This Video Can Be a Proof!
This herbicide can be sprayed on your cropland both before and after crops emerge from the soil. Atrazine is sold under many trade names. Some of them are Gesaprim®, Aatrex®, Atratol®, and Aatram®.
What Is Atrazine 4l Used For?
Atrazine 4L is a flowable, powerful herbicide that controls the annual grass weeds and broadleaf in Corn, Turf, Ornamentals, Sugarcane, and other labeled crops. It contains 4 lbs of Atrazine each gallon. Atrazine 4L can be used before or after weeds grow. Our researchers have found out that this herbicide can be used by ground or aerial application methods.
How Does Atrazine Work?
Broadleaf and grass weeds absorb Atrazine mostly through their roots, where it is subsequently transferred to the tips and leaves that are actively growing. Some absorption via leaves does happen. Atrazine kills the broadleaf and grass weeds by inhibiting photosynthesis.
It takes around 14 to 21 days. Keep in mind that root growth is not impacted by Atrazine. According to our researchers, corn contains a natural immunity that is unaffected by genetic alteration. Therefore, Atrazine only kills broadleaf weeds.
This Can Also Help You Know the Facts!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Atrazine good for?
Atrazine is good for use both as a pre-emergent and a post-emergent herbicide. If you want to know what is the chemical Atrazine used for, then you need to know that it is used to control several annual grass weeds and broadleaf weeds growing on home lawns, croplands, rights-of-way, and ornamental turf. Atrazine also helps reduce the necessity for tillage and the transformation of land to produce crops.
What products contain Atrazine?
There are a lot of products that contain Atrazine. Some product names are Atrazine 4F, Atrazine 4L, Atrazine 90 DF, Atrazine 90 DG, Atrazine 90 WDG, Atrazine DF, etc. You can also find Atrazine in cucumbers, catfish, green onions, and watermelon. In addition, atrazine herbicide can be found in water as it dissolves in water.
Why is Atrazine banned?
Atrazine herbicide is known to have endocrine disruptor activity. Research has found that Atrazine can cause cancer and birth defects in humans, and even a little atrazine herbicide dosage can chemically castrate amphibians. Atrazine also dissolves in water and contaminates it. In October 2003, the European Union declared a ban on Atrazine due to unpreventable and ubiquitous water contamination. Also, recently The Guardian showed that Australia banned 12 pesticides and Atrazine is one of them.
Final Words
Although known as the second-most frequently utilized herbicide in the US, Atrazine has been banned or periodically stopped in over 35 countries. Depending on the kind of weeds you try to kill with Atrazine, the time it takes to give proper results can vary.
Generally, Atrazine is an extremely slow-acting herbicide, and it may take around 4 to 6 weeks following applying it to witness the desired outcomes and the target weed’s demise. The most important thing to know about atrazine herbicide is “what is atrazine used for?”
Finding the proper answer to this question is hard on the internet. But now we hope this article has helped you get the proper answer to this question.
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Enamored with the world of golf Jack pursued a degree in Golf Course Management at THE Ohio State University. This career path allowed him to work on some of the highest profile golf courses in the country! Due to the pandemic, Jack began Inside The Yard as a side hustle that quickly became his main hustle. Since starting the company, Jack has relocated to a homestead in Central Arkansas where he and his wife raise cattle and two little girls.