AGR 3102

Principles of Weed Science

Herbicide
Muhammad Saiful Ahmad Hamdani

Unit 6 Topics Covered

Herbicide Calculations:
a.i. (active ingredients)
a.e. (acid equivalent)
Calibration

Herbicide Calculations
2 methods:
1) active ingredients (a.i.)
2) acid equivalent (a.e.)
1) a.i. calculation
- a.i. is always identified on the herbicide label.
- often expressed as either a % or in g/L.
- calculations based on dry or liquid formulation.

 Several calculations to determine the amount of a.i.

applied. One of the easiest calculations:
g a.i. applied per ha =
kg or L of product applied X g active ingredient
ha
L or kg of product
Example: calculation of dry formulation
- Herbicide Plantgard with 30% 2,4-D (note: 30% [w/w] in trade
formulation = 30g a.i. in 100g product or 300g a.i. in 1kg product)

- Spray recommendation: 2.5kg product / ha

- How much is the 2,4-D in the product when we apply
2.5kg of Plantgard per ha???

g a.i. applied per ha =

kg or L of product applied X g active ingredient
ha
L or kg of product
2.5kg Plantgard
ha

300g 2,4-D
1kg Plantgard

Answer = 750g a.i. 2,4-D per ha applied when spray at

recommended rate of 2.5kg Plantgard per ha

 Example: calculation of liquid formulation

- Herbicide Gramoxone with 35% paraquat (note: 35% [w/v] in
trade formulation = 35g a.i. in 100mL product or 350g a.i. in 1L product)

- Spray recommendation: 3kg a.i. paraquat / ha

- How much is the Gramoxone required when we apply
3kg a.i. paraquat per ha???
g a.i. applied per ha =
kg or L of product applied X g active ingredient
ha
L or kg of product

3kg paraquat per ha = L Gramoxone X 350g paraquat

ha

1L Gramoxone

Answer = 8.57L Gramoxone is required for 1ha when spray

with 3kg a.i. paraquat per ha

2) Acid Equivalent (a.e.) calculation

Herbicides a.i. usually in parent acid form
(its herbicidally active form), but many are
formulated as a derivatives (i.e. esters,
salts, amines).
Alterations with herbicide molecules that
are acids (at carboxyl [COOH] structure).

 Why would a herbicide be formulated as a derivative

(ester, salt, amine, etc.) of the parent acid?
- Increase the ability of the herbicide
to penetrate/absorb through the
leaf/root much more effectively.
- Increase the water solubility of the
herbicide
a.e. calculation indicates the amount of an acid herbicide
in a formulation.
Some labels indicate both a.i. and a.e. contained in the
formulation, while others list only one or the other.

 Sometimes, the numbers in formulation do not indicate

gram active ingredient per L or kg, but rather the acid
equivalent per L or kg.
If the g a.e. is specified on the product label, to
determine the g a.e applied per ha is substitute g a.e for
g a.i. in the equation given previously.
If not specified, calculate a.e. first using this equation:
acid equivalent (%) = molecular weight of the acid 1 X 100
molecular weight of the herbicide
- molecular weight of the acid has to minus (-) 1 because one
H atom is missing when formed derivative (H+ was replaced
by the salt/ester/amine i.e. NH4+ / Na+)

 Example:
2,4-D herbicides can be found in ester or amine
formulation
2,4-D dietanolamine salt = 326 mw
2,4-D acid (pure form) = 221 mw
% of a.e. 2,4,-D = 221-1 X 100 : 67.5%
326
If in a 2,4-D formulation contains 700g dietanolamine salt
per L, the g per L a.e. 2,4-D in the formulation is:
67.5 (a.e.) X 700g/L (2,4-D salt formulation) = *472.5g/L
100
472.5g is the actual a.i. 2,4-D (in a.e.) that cause
phytotoxicity to plants/weeds

 Now, how much g a.e. 2,4-D per ha is applied if the

spray dosage recommendation is 5L product per ha?
g a.e. applied per ha =
kg or L of product applied X g acid equivalent
ha
L or kg of product

g a.i. applied per ha = 5L X 472.5g

ha
L
= 2362.5g a.e. 2,4-D per ha is applied when sprayed at the
recommended rate of 5L/ha product

Calibration
A technique to help you calculate how much
water / chemical mix your sprayer puts out to
ensure that the correct rate of chemical is
applied to the target plant.
2 types of sprayer: knapsack sprayer and boomsprayer.
Calibration will be emphasized on knapsack
sprayer.

Knapsack Sprayer Calibration

1) Measure the spray width of the nozzle(s) on a dry surface
(in m).
2) Spray a test area at the intended pressure and walking
pace. Record distance (in m) covered in one minute (min).
3) Measure the nozzle output in L over one min in a
measuring jug (L/min). Repeat all steps at least twice.
4) The spray volume can be calculated by the following
formula:
Application rate (L/ha) =

nozzle output (L/min) x 10,000 m2

spray width (m) x walking speed (m/min)

For example:
Average nozzle output in 1 minute: = 3 L
Spray width: = 1 m
Average walking speed: = 100 m/min
Application rate (L/ha) = 3 x 10,000
1 x 100
= 30,000
100
= 300 L/ha application rate (water)

How much to put in a tank???

The following formula can be used to determine the amount of
product needed for each tank:
Product/tank (L or kg) = recommended rate (L/ha or kg/ha) x tank size (L)
application rate (L/ha)

For example:
Recommended product dosage: 5 L/ha
Application rate: 300 L/ha
Spray tank size: 20 L
Calculation:
Product/tank (L/ha) = 5 x 20
300
Answer
= 0.33 L or 330 ml
330 ml of the product is added to a 20 L knapsack sprayer to
give the recommended spray rate of 5 L/ha.

THANK YOU!!!!!