Pendimethalin is an herbicide of the dinitroaniline class used in premergence and postemergence applications to control annual grasses and certain broadleaf weeds. It inhibits cell division and cell elongation. Pendimethalin is listed in the K1-group according to the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee classification and is approved in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania for different crops including cereals, corn, soybeans, rice, potato, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts as well as lawns and ornamental plants.
Use
Pendimethalin protects crops like wheat, corn, soybeans potatoes, cabbage, peas, carrots and asparagus. It is used to control annual grasses and certain broadleaf weeds which interfere with growth, development, yield and quality of agricultural and horticultural crops by competing on nutrients, water and light. In areas where weed infestation is particularly high, yield losses can render wheat production economically unviable. In addition to wheat, a large number of crops are grown in Europe that are a relatively small percentage of total agricultural output. Herbicide options are limited for these minor crops, with few effective herbicides available in the vegetable sector. Long-term field studies performed in Germany by governmental research and advisory institutes together with farmers rank Pendimethalin as an efficient herbicide to control blackgrass, regarding to weed control efficacy, crop yield, treatment costs and environmental impact.
Mode of action
Pendimethalin acts both pre-emergence, that is before weed seedlings have emerged, and early post-emergence. Pendimethalin inhibits root and shoot growth. It controls the weed population and prevents weeds from emerging, particularly during the crucial development phase of the crop. Its primary mode of action is to prevent plant cell division and elongation in susceptible species. In the HRAC classification of herbicides according their mode of action, pendimethalin is listed in group K1.
Pendimethalin exposure has been shown to substantially increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer. A study published in the International Journal of Cancer revealed a three-fold increase among applicators in the top-half of lifetime use of the herbicide.
Resistance
Herbicide resistance typically increases production costs and limits options for herbicide selection, cultivations and rotations. Up to now Pendimethalin does not show resistance. It is not cross-resistant with other grass weed herbicides. This means that Pendimethalin supports the effects of other supplementary grass weed herbicides that use a different mode of action.
Registrative status
Pendimethalin is registered globally for a wide range of crops, according to human and environmental safety standards by the European Commission, US-EPA, Canada-PMRA, Japan, Brazil-ANVISA and others.
