
Atrazine is a herbicide
Herbicide
Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are substances used to control unwanted plants. Selective herbicides control specific weed species, while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed, while non-selective herbicides can be used to clear waste ground, industrial and construction sites, r…
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae. Seventeen of the 25 species are native to Australia, with the range of some extending to Africa, Asia, Mesoamerica, and certain islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. One species is grown for grain, while many other…
Can atrazine be used on corn and other crops?
Caught in the middle are state and federal regulators and the farmers who actually apply atrazine on corn, sorghum, and other crops. The latest spat is over a 2009 reevaluation of triazine herbicides (to which atrazine belongs) by the Obama administration.
What is atrazine herbicide?
Atrazine is a widely used herbicide that can be applied before and after planting to control broadleaf and grassy weeds. Atrazine is a member of the triazine chemical class, which includes simazine and propazine.
How do you measure atrazine mineralization rates in corn?
Atrazine mineralization rates were measured under two management practices – a continuous corn plot receiving annual application of atrazine and a crop-rotation plot with corn-soybean-wheat and hairy vetch, with reduced use of atrazine during corn years (Ostrofsky et al., 1997 ).
What is the EPA doing to reduce exposure to atrazine?
In this document EPA is finalizing the following new, stronger protections to reduce exposure to atrazine. Reduce application rate for granular atrazine products applied to residential turf from 2.2 pounds active ingredient per acre (lb ai/A) to 2.0 lb ai/A

What is atrazine used for besides as a herbicide?
Atrazine is a chlorinated triazine systemic herbicide that is used to selectively control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds before they emerge....Registration Review of Atrazine.Docket IDDocket TitleEPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0266-1159ExitAtrazine Draft Human Health Risk Assessment for Registration Review10 more rows•Jun 30, 2022
What is atrazine found in?
Atrazine is made in the laboratory and does not occur naturally. Atrazine is used on crops such as sugarcane, corn, pineapples, sorghum, and macadamia nuts, and on evergreen tree farms and for evergreen forest regrowth.
How is atrazine applied?
Atrazine can be applied to the soil surface either before or after planting, incorporated into the soil prior to planting, or sprayed on corn and weeds, postemergence.
Can you use atrazine on corn?
"Atrazine is the single most widely used herbicide in sweet corn, applied to fields before crop emergence, after crop emergence, or at both times," Williams said. "Manufacturers of many of the other herbicides recommend tank-mixing with atrazine to increase their products' effectiveness."
Is atrazine still used today?
Atrazine is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the US. Farmers spray it on crops such as corn, sorghum, and sugarcane to control grasses and broadleaf weeds. Consumers apply it to residential lawns to kill weeds. Atrazine persists in the environment and is a widespread drinking water contaminant.
What products have atrazine in it?
Atrazine products registered for use in Minnesota - 2019Product NameProduct NameProduct NameATRAZINE 90 WDGFULTIMESTALWART XTRAATRAZINE DF (ADAMA)FULTIME NXTSTALWART XTRA LITEBICEP II MAGNUMHARNESS XTRATENKOZ ATRAZINE 4LBICEP II MAGNUM FCHARNESS XTRA 5.6LTENKOZ ATRAZINE 90DF26 more rows•Apr 23, 2019
When should I apply atrazine?
You should apply Atrazine when the ground is dry. This product will control both emerged weeds and weeds from seeds. Rain or water within 2 or 3 days of application may decrease the effectiveness on emerged weeds.
Is atrazine used in organic farming?
But atrazine is also sprayed on soybeans, sugarcane, wheat, oats, and sorghum, among other crops. Atrazine is also used to kill weeds in pastures. According to the EPA, there are approximately 200 different products containing atrazine now approved for use on farms and for a variety of landscaping purposes.
Why we should use atrazine?
On farmed acres, atrazine helps reduce soil erosion by enabling no-till farming and conservation tillage. “Atrazine gives growers residual weed control, so they're not having to do deep plowing every year, reducing soil and pesticide runoff,” says Dennis Kelly, head of state affairs at Syngenta.
Can you spray atrazine on soybeans?
Soybean. If atrazine has been applied pre-plant or pre-emergence, soybeans should not be planted in that field until next year. This is clearly stated on the label of any herbicide that contains atrazine, regardless of the rate used.
What is the best herbicide for corn?
Currently, glyphosate and glufosinate are the two most widely used herbicides in corn and soybean.
What do you spray field corn with?
In corn with Roundup Ready® 2 Technology, Roundup® brand glyphosate-only agricultural herbicides can be applied broadcast up to the V8 growth stage or 30-inch tall corn, whichever comes first. Drop nozzles should be used for optimum spray coverage and weed control when corn is 24 to 30 inches tall.
Is atrazine in drinking water?
EWG research shows that atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide in tap water, at concentrations that can be higher than what the federal legal allows. Water utilities struggle to remove atrazine, particularly in the spring, when millions of pounds of the chemical are applied to corn and soybean fields.
What can atrazine do to humans?
Atrazine has a lot of adverse effect on health such as tumors, breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers as well as leukemia and lymphoma. It is an endocrine disrupting chemical interrupting regular hormone function and causing birth defects, reproductive tumors, and weight loss in amphibians as well as humans.
How common is atrazine in drinking water?
Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in the U.S., and is found in 94% of U.S drinking water tested by the USDA — more often than any other pesticide.
What is the common name for atrazine?
Atrazine is a herbicide of the triazine class....Atrazine.NamesOther names Atrazine 1-Chloro-3-ethylamino-5-isopropylamino-2,4,6-triazine 2-Chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine 6-Chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamineIdentifiersCAS Number1912-24-93D model (JSmol)Interactive image29 more rows
What is ATR in drinking water?
Atrazine (ATR) is a herbicide used to kill broadleaf plants in rural and urban environments and is widely used. ATR levels in US drinking water can exceed the drinking water criteria (Barbash et al., 2001) and human exposure has been confirmed by detection of ATR in urine samples ( Curwin et al., 2007 ). Interestingly, when ATR levels were high in Illinois drinking water, as compared to women in Vermont (a low ATR-using state) consumption of > 2 cups of unfiltered water daily was associated with increased risk of irregular menstrual periods in women ( Cragin et al., 2011 ). In rodent in vivo studies ATR-induced effects on ovarian function have been mechanistically examined. ATR-exposed rats (100 or 300 mg kg − 1; oral gavage daily for 2 weeks) had reduced ovarian and uterine weights, reduced circulating E 2 levels, and lengthened estrous cycles relative to control-treated females ( Eldridge et al., 1994 ). Another study that evaluated a range of ATR exposures (0.75—100 mg kg − 1 day − 1) and two different routes (oral gavage or dietary consumption) observed altered estrous cyclicity, and attenuated LH surge, and lower numbers of oocytes ovulated, though no impacts on fetus number were noted. Interestingly, dietary ATR exposure did not alter any of the endpoints examined ( Foradori et al., 2014 ). Thus, the route of TAR exposure is worth considering when assessing reproductive endpoints.
What is the most widely used herbicide in the US?
Atrazine (1-chloro-3-ethylamino-5-isopropylamino-2,4,6-triazine) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the US for control of broadleaf weeds and grasses in crops of corn, sugar cane, and sorghum.
How does atrazine affect fish?
Atrazine has negative effects on growth, metabolism, immune function, and sexual differentiation in fish and frogs (Hayes, 2005). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these organismal phenotypes are not well understood. To better understand how atrazine interacts with the organism at the level of gene expression, Ide and colleagues carried out a microarray analysis of tadpoles chronically exposed to 400 ppb atrazine from hatching to climax of metamorphosis ( Langerveld, Celestine, Zaya, Mihalko, & Ide, 2009). This atrazine treatment throughout the larval period affected growth, development, and survival. Fat bodies were also reduced in both male and female tadpoles. Microarray analysis from whole bodies identified changes in males (44 genes) and females (77 genes) at metamorphic climax, with less than 50% overlap among sexes. The genes identified were involved in growth and metabolism genes, proteolysis, fibrinogen complex formation, and immune system function. Reproductive function genes were not observed, but gonads constitute a small proportion of whole-body RNA. A reanalysis of these microarray data looking for up- or downregulated metabolic pathways found genes involved in increased fat usage and protein degradation and decreased storage of fat, protein synthesis, and glucose conversion to energy (Zaya, Amini, Whitaker, & Ide, 2011). These changes correlate with morphological effects of atrazine, and could be due to a direct effect of atrazine in these genes at the transcriptional level. Alternatively, the authors suggested that atrazine may reduce food consumption thus indirectly leading to altered gene regulation of metabolism genes. Detoxification of atrazine is an energy intensive process and may place high demand for energy, perhaps an explanation for the etiology of atrazine's effects on slowed growth and development. Reduced survivorship may be due to deleterious effects on immune function perhaps leading to increased susceptibility to infection. However, the cause of death was not determined. The role of altered blood cell function in atrazine-treated tadpoles is not clear and represents another example of microarray analysis revealing cryptic changes not obvious from gross morphological or histological analysis. Different effects of atrazine observed between the sexes are not well understood.
What is the average atrazine concentration in water?
The multiyear average for atrazine concentrations in these systems ranged from 3.30 to 3.41 ppb.
How much atrazine is toxic to frogs?
In their review of atrazine toxicity to frogs, Bishop et al. (2010) found that LC50s typically run in the 7–25 mg/L range , considerably higher than would be expected under typical environmental conditions, so sublethal effects may be more important to free-ranging anurans than acute lethal effects.
Why is atrazine used in corn?
Atrazine is widely used in corn production due to its efficacy, application flexibility, low cost, and crop safety. Its efficacy ratings for some common weed species are listed in Table 34.1a. Table 34.1b presents estimates of the infestation of these important weeds in Illinois and of the potential yield loss that would occur if these weed species were uncontrolled. These data indicate that atrazine provides significant levels of control for most of the important weed species that are widely distributed and those that would cause significant corn yield loss if left uncontrolled.
What is propazine used for?
Propazine is used for control of broadleaf weeds and annual grasses in sweet sorghum. It is applied as a spray at the time of planting or immediately following planting, but prior to weed or sorghum emergence. It is also used as a post-emergence selective herbicide on carrots, celery and fennel.
What is the battle between atrazine and the agricultural industry?
6 points to remember about atrazine. Atrazine is in a perennial battle between the agricultural chemical industry and environmental groups. Caught in the middle are state and federal regulators and the farmers who actually apply atrazine on corn, sorghum, and other crops. The latest spat is over a 2009 reevaluation of triazine herbicides (to which ...
How much atrazine is in water?
Currently, EPA standards allow 3 parts per billion ( ppb) or less of atrazine to be present in drinking water. That's already a stringent standard, say Syngenta officials. The World Health Organization has set a 100 ppb threshold for drinking water.
How much does triazine help with erosion?
Based on these reductions, triazine herbicides provide $210 to $350 million annually in benefits from reduced soil erosion. “If atrazine is no longer available, people will have to revert to tillage to control tough weeds,” says Foresman. 5. Atrazine fits with resistance management.
How does atrazine help soil?
4. Atrazine saves your soil. Trizane herbicides like atrazine help slice the need for tillage and the conversion of land to crop production. This reduces soil erosion from U.S. cropland by 56 to 85 million tons per year, according to an analysis by Paul Mitchell, a University of Wisconsin agricultural economist.
How much corn is atrazine used in?
It's used on over 60% of U.S. corn acres, says Chuck Foresman, global corn R & D lead or Syngenta, an atrazine manufacturer.
Why was atrazine banned?
That's what happened in the European Union in 2003, when regulators banned atrazine due to concerns about its impact on health and the environment.
When was triazine reevaluated?
The latest spat is over a 2009 reevaluation of triazine herbicides (to which atrazine belongs) by the Obama administration. This follows a regularly scheduled triazine federal reregistration that the EPA approved under the Bush administration.
What is the interaction between atrazine and DOM?
The interactions of atrazine with DOM have direct effects on its absorption in soils and on its environmental fate. In a study for the characterization of binding and sorption of atrazine onto DOM coming from black soil, fluorescence 2DCOS showed that the quenching order of the humic-like component occurred earlier than that of the protein humic component. This suggested that the humic-like fraction in DOM was the preferred molecular system for binding atrazine [115]. In a subsequent study, fluorescence 2DCOS confirmed the binding capacity of the humic-like fraction for atrazine, also evidencing a preferential and sequential binding order according to humic-like fraction → protein humic fraction [116].
What is the name of the triazine class?
Atrazine. Atrazine (1-chloro-3-ethylamino-5-isopropylamino-2,4,6-triazine) belongs to the triazine class (which includes atrazine, simazine, cyanazine, ametryn, prometryn, prometon and hexazinone) and is one of the most common herbicides employed in agriculture (e.g. plantations of sorghum, corn, pineapple and sugarcane).
Why is atrazine used in corn?
Atrazine is widely used in corn production due to its efficacy, application flexibility, low cost, and crop safety. Its efficacy ratings for some common weed species are listed in Table 34.1a. Table 34.1b presents estimates of the infestation of these important weeds in Illinois and of the potential yield loss that would occur if these weed species were uncontrolled. These data indicate that atrazine provides significant levels of control for most of the important weed species that are widely distributed and those that would cause significant corn yield loss if left uncontrolled.
How is diclofenac removed from water?
[60], diclofenac (DCF) was successfully removed from water samples by using a magnetic Fe 3 O 4 /SiO 2 /quaternary chitosan nanocomposite. Fig. 5.1 shows the schematic demonstration of the binding process of DCF to the magnetic Fe 3 O 4 /SiO 2 /quaternary chitosan nanocomposite. In this study, the maximum binding capacity was found as 240.4 mg g −1.
What is the most common herbicide used in agriculture?
Atrazine and related triazines are the most widespread herbicides used throughout the world for the protection of crops from broadleaf weeds and for non-agricultural purposes, such as soil sterilization and road maintenance. After application, the herbicides experience degradation caused by oxidation, photolysis, and thermal or microbial impacts. Triazines and their metabolites are very resistant and may be found in soil several years after application. Concerning the global consumption of herbicides of over 3 million metric tons per year, it is not surprising that the control of water, soil, and food for contamination with these extremely toxic compounds has become of great importance. The European Commission regulations set the maximum allowed concentration of an individual pesticide in drinking water at 0.1 μg/L. Table 14.2 shows chemical structures of some widespread triazine pesticides and their metabolites. The parent atrazine, simazine, and propazine are more hydrophobic compounds compared to highly polar products of their degradation, especially didealkylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine (DIA), and hydroxyatrazine. Nevertheless, hydrophobic neutral hypercrosslinked adsorbing materials retain excellently both the herbicides and their metabolites listed in Table 14.2, as well as many other pesticides belonging to different chemical classes.
What is the best herbicide for ecofallow?
Atrazine, cyanazine, propazine, and terbutryn were the main triazine herbicides studied for potential use in ecofallow. Atrazine and cyanazine have good foliar burndown activity on small, emerged weeds when applied with appropriate adjuvants. All four have soil-residual activity, with cyanazine and terbutryn giving excellent weed control for 30–60 days, whereas atrazine and propazine applied at 2 lb/A (2.24 kg/ha) at Garden City, Kansas, may control volunteer wheat and weeds in wheat stubble for 10–12 months (Norwood et al., 1990 ). The soil-residual activity of triazine herbicides is influenced greatly by soil pH, moisture, and texture ( Vencill, 2002 ). Of these triazine herbicides, only atrazine is currently registered and used widely for weed control in ecofallow.
How are genetic materials used in agriculture?
One novel strategy in agriculture is the development and use of genetic materials loaded in nanomaterials as nanopesticides directly into host plant tissues that could be done in three different ways: (i) incubation of plant tissues and/or cells directly with nanoparticles carrying genetic material for a specific time that results in nanoparticles consumption; (ii) Injection of nanoparticles carrying genetic material enriched fluids to plant tissues and cells and (iii) application of devices containing nanoparticles carrying genetic material to plant tissues and cells. After entering in contact with plant tissues and/or cells, the genetic material is released from the nanoparticles and integrates with plant genomes ( Robinson et al., 2014; Mitter et al., 2017; Demirer et al., 2019; Dubrovina and Kiselev, 2019; Furuhata et al., 2019 ).
