Aminopyralid is a selective
herbicide used for control of broadleaf weeds, especially thistles and clovers. It is in the
picolinic acid
Picolinic acid is an organic compound with the formula C5H4N(CO2H). It is a derivative of pyridine with a carboxylic acid (COOH) substituent at the 2-position. It is an isomer of nicotinic acid and isonicotinic acid, which have the carboxyl s ...
family of herbicides, which also includes
clopyralid
Clopyralid (3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid) is a selective herbicide used for control of broadleaf weeds, especially thistles and clovers. Clopyralid is in the picolinic acid family of herbicides, which also includes aminopyralid, pic ...
,
picloram
Picloram is a systemic herbicide used for general woody plant control. It also controls a wide range of broad-leaved weeds, but most grasses are resistant. ,
triclopyr
Triclopyr (3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid) is an organic compound in the pyridine group that is used as a systemic foliar herbicide and fungicide.
Uses
Triclopyr is used to control broadleaf weeds while leaving grasses and conifers ...
, and several less common herbicides.
[Staff, Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension. Revised May 14, 201]
Pyridine Herbicide Carryover: Causes and Precautions
Accessed May 27, 2013 It was first registered for use in 2005, in the USA under the brand name "Milestone" and later under various names starting with "Grazon". In the UK it is sold under the brand names Banish, Forefront, Halcyon, Pharaoh, Pro-Banish, Runway, Synero, and Upfront.
Aminopyralid is of concern to vegetable growers, as it can enter the food chain via
manure
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the Soil fertility, fertility of soil by adding organic ma ...
, which contains long-lasting residues of the herbicide. It affects potatoes, tomatoes, and beans, causing deformed plants, and poor or non-existent yields. Problems with manure contaminated with aminopyralid residue surfaced in the UK in June and July 2008, and, at the end of July 2008, Dow AgroSciences implemented an immediate suspension of UK sales and use of herbicides containing aminopyralid.
Approval of aminopyralid was subsequently reinstated in the UK on October 6, 2009, as reported by the UK regulatory authority, the Advisory Committee on Pesticides. The re-introduction was approved "with new recommendations and a stringent stewardship programme devised to prevent inadvertent movement of manure from farms".
Despite restrictions, symptoms of aminopyralid damage were recorded on crops growing in allotments in Edinburgh, UK as recently as June 2010; enquiries traced the source of contamination to a farm supplying hay to the stables from where bags of manure had been obtained. Symptoms of aminopyralid injury to vegetable crops were reported by small farmers and gardeners in Britain in July 2011.
['George Monbiot for The Guardian. July 15, 2011.]
Have you spotted a strange curling disease in your home-grown veg?
/ref>
References
External links
News article about Aminopyralid's effects
EPA Fact Sheet
{{Herbicides
Auxinic herbicides
Chloropyridines
Carboxylic acids
Aminopyridines