Canada to approve FMC's herbicide pethoxamid

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, is proposing registration for the sale and use of FMC’s Pethoxamid Technical and Pethoxamid 480EC, containing the technical grade active ingredient pethoxamid, for pre-emergent control or suppression of grass and broadleaf weeds in field corn and soybeans, using ground application equipment only.

 

Pethoxamid is a herbicide that inhibits shoot and root growth by affecting formation of cell membranes and the cuticle materials in developing plants.
 

Pethoxamid enters plants through the growing tips of roots and shoots, where it inhibits growth of susceptible plants soon after germination. It is primarily effective against annual grasses, but also provides control of certain broadleaf weeds. Pethoxamid only controls weeds that have not yet emerged.
 

Pethoxamid is classified as a Group 15 herbicide by the Weed Science Society of America and as a Group K3 by the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee.
 

Pethoxamid 480EC, which is formulated with the active ingredient pethoxamid at 480 g/L, provides pre-emergent control or suppression of several common weed species, including foxtail, crabgrass, ragweed, pigweed, nightshade, and lamb’s-quarters.
 

Pethoxamid 480EC reduces early season weed competition to the emerging crop allowing the crop to benefit from additional moisture, nutrients, and light that would otherwise be captured by weeds. Management of weeds at this time is critical as corn and soybean do not compete well with weeds until crop canopy closure. As Pethoxamid 480EC has residual activity on certain weed species, reduction in competition with the crop is extended.
 

Registration of Pethoxamid 480EC provides Canadian growers with access to a product that is currently available in other countries and another option for control or suppression of common grassy and broadleaf weeds with a single herbicide application early in the field season.
 

Before making a final registration decision on pethoxamid and Pethoxamid 480EC, Health Canada’s PMRA will consider any comments received from the public in response to this proposal. 

 

This consultation is open for comment from 21 November 2019 to 5 January 2020 (45 calendar days).