Effectiveness and Distribution of 2,4,5-T, Triclopyr, Picloram, and 3,6-Dichloropicolinic Acid in Honey Mesquite (Prosopis julifloravar.glandulosa)

Abstract

Greenhouse-grown honey mesquite [Prosopis juliflora(Swartz) DC. var.glandulosa(Torr.) Cockerell] plants were treated with the propylene glycol butyl ether esters of 2,4,5-T [(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetic acid], the triethylamine salt or the ethylene glycol butyl ether esters of triclopyr {[(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyl) oxy]acetic acicd}, the potassium salt of picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid), or the monoethanol amine salt of 3,6-dichloropicolinic acid applied at the rate of 1.1 kg/ha to soil, foliage, or soil plus foliage. All herbicides were effective as foliar sprays in killing the stems of honey mesquite. When applied to the soil, picloram and 3,6-dichloropicolinic acid killed all above ground stems, and the ester and amine formulation of triclopyr killed 70 and 91% of the stem tissue, respectively, but 2,4,5-T was ineffective. Accumulation of herbicides in leaves 10 days after foliar spray was 28, 167, and 266 μg/g fresh wt for triclopyr, 3,6-dichloropicolinic acid, and picloram, respectively. Upward transport of picloram and 3,6-dichloropicolinic acid (2.7 to 5.9 μg/g) was also more extensive than that of 2,4,5-T or triclopyr after soil treatment. Higher concentrations of 3,6-dichloropicolinic acid than 2,4,5-T, triclopyr, or picloram usually was found in honey mesquite stems and roots 3, 10, or 30 days after application to soil or foliage. This may be one reason that 3,6-dichloropicolinic acid is highly effective in controlling honey mesquite.