Glufosinate-ammonium

CAS No.: 77182-82-2

Molecular Formula: C5H18N3O4P

Molecular Weight: 215.19

Melting point: 210 °C
Boiling point: 519 °C
Density: 1.4 g/cm³
Flash point: 100 °C
Storage temperature: Store in a dark place, under an inert atmosphere, at 2-8 °C
Solubility: Methanol (slightly soluble); Water (soluble)
pKa: 9.15 [reference value at 20 °C]
Physical form: Solid
Color: White to beige
Water solubility: Soluble in water

Glufosinate-ammonium, also known as glufosinate, is a non-selective foliar application organic phosphorus herbicide. It was first developed in 1979 by Hoechst, a chemical synthesis company of the Federal Republic of Germany. The action mechanism of glufosinate-ammonium is that it is absorbed by the leaf blade; it exhibits a partial suction effect and can be translocated from the base of the leaf toward the tips, with limited transfer to other parts of the plant. It is considered harmless to non-emerged shoots and seeds. After application, the metabolism of glufosinate-ammonium in plants is disrupted within a short period. A strong cytotoxic effect occurs as glufosinate-ammonium ions accumulate in plant tissue, poisoning the plant and leading to death. It also strongly inhibits photosynthesis; the injured plants turn yellowish-white after loss of green coloration, then turn yellow and die after 2 to 5 days. After contact with soil, the activity is lost. Therefore, it should be used as a post-emergence spray on stems and leaves.

Glufosinate-ammonium is mainly used for desiccating/destructive weed control in orchards, vineyards, potato fields, nurseries, forests, pastures, ornamental shrubs, and free arable land. It is used for the prevention and control of annual and perennial weeds, including foxtail, wild oats, crabgrass, barnyard grass, green foxtail, bluegrass, quackgrass, bermudagrass, bentgrass, reeds, fescue, and others. It is also effective for the prevention and control of broadleaf weeds such as quinoa, amaranth, smartweed, chestnut, black nightshade, chickweed, purslane, cleavers, sonchus, thistle, field bindweed, and dandelion, and it has some effect on sedges and ferns. When broadleaf weeds are at the early growing stage and grass weeds are in the tillering period, spraying 0.7 to 1.2 kg per hectare on the weed population provides a weed control period of 4 to 6 weeks. If necessary, repeat application can significantly extend the residual validity period. In potato fields, it should be used pre-emergence; it can also be sprayed before harvest to kill and control ground stubble, supporting harvest operations. For ferns, the dosage per hectare is 1.5 to 2 kg. It is usually used alone; sometimes it can be mixed with simazine, diuron, or methylchloro phenoxyacetic acid, etc.