Picloram

Picloram is a selective systemic herbicide that controls many annual and perennial broadleaf weeds in monocot crops such as cereals, and it can double as a plant growth regulator. Taken up by roots and foliage, it moves through weeds to kill them thoroughly. The United States Environmental Protection Agency places it in its lowest acute-toxicity category, and it is also marketed as Tordon. In crop production, labeled rates and timing keep residues on harvested grain within legal limits. Picloram’s persistence in soil, however, demands stewardship to avoid carryover damage to sensitive follow-on crops, a reminder that selectivity has environmental boundaries.