Pre-emergent control - Pendimethalin

Golf courses face a huge challenge. The control of weeds There is a very small catalogue of products available for this purpose. There is a wide range of different active ingredients available on the market to control weeds, but the availability of permitted products in Spain is very limited. In this entry, we will review the use of the Pendimethalin. K.S. Rao, in Encyclopedia of Toxicology (Second Edition), 2005.

Monocotyledonous plants are those which have only one cotyledon in their embryo when germinating. Plants related to this characteristic range from grasses to palm trees and cereals.

The control of narrow-leaved (monocotyledonous) weeds does not currently have many tools other than pre-emergence herbicides as they are very close genetic relatives of the commonly used grasses. Pendilectamine is an active substance that has a pre-emergence and early post-emergence effect with residual effect. In plain words it allows monocotyledonous seeds that are transported in irrigation water, birds or wind and fall on the field not to germinate and deteriorate in the soil, decreasing the danger of invasion.

Pre-emergent herbicides are particularly effective against Digitaria sp. Echinochloa sp. and the Eleusine Indica. The effect of pendimethalin in the laboratory lasts 3 to 5 months, but in the field it is estimated to last only one month. It also has an effect on broad-leaved plants. It acts by interrupting protein polymerisation, preventing cell division.

Pendimethalin is a permitted active substance at the time of writing.

The use of pendimethalin is common in urban gardening due to its low toxicity to terrestrial animals, and somewhat higher toxicity to aquatic animals. (Miscellaneous Herbicides, Fungicides, and Nematocides Patricia A. Talcott MS, DVM, PhD, DABVT, in Small Animal Toxicology (Third Edition), 2013).

Its ideal use is to control annual herbaceous plants by inhibiting cell division and cell elongation. The herbicide should be applied in the period prior to the germination of the problematic species and it is recommended to apply an irrigation after the application to facilitate the entry of the product. It is important for the applicator to be well equipped with all the usual PPE such as goggles, filter mask, waterproof boots and overalls.

In addition, it is imperative to read the product label to know the dosage to be applied and to have the perfectly calibrated tank ensuring effective and safe application.