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 X 300g 2,4-D

ha 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 = ҳL 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 boom-

sprayer.

• 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!!!!!