Fluridone used in rice comes with a caveat
A word of caution to rice growers: the herbicide fluridone has become a valuable tool in fighting Palmer pigweed, but it can cause injury to some rice cultivars, depending on when it is used.
Registered under the trade name Brake by SePRO Corporation, fluridone is a residual herbicide used to suppress grasses and broadleaf weeds before they emerge, also known as a pre-emergence herbicide. In 2023, fluridone was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in rice at the three-leaf stage and onward. It had already been approved for use in cotton and peanuts.
Fluridone offers a new tool in the arsenal to fight herbicide resistance in Palmer pigweed, said Jason Norsworthy, distinguished professor of weed science in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
