chief - 14-4-2009 at 15:51
Supposed that some lightweight and strong herbizide is used, that can make off M~o~n~s~a~n~t~o -genetic-engineered corn, and the whole field with a
small amount: Would this be possible anyhow ?
Or would, in such a hypothetical case (writing science fiction lately ... 
),
some biological enemy of the allegedly cancer-provocing busines-corn have to be put in ?
[Edited on 14-4-2009 by chief]
sparkgap - 14-4-2009 at 16:27
Well, you need to look for an herbicide that's specifically geared towards grassy (monocot) as opposed to broadleaf (dicot) "weeds" (remember, one
man's "weed" can be another' crop). Bear in mind that old-school herbicides aren't that selective, and newer ones are usually tailored to exploit the
small but significant differences between the crops they are supposed to protect and their close competitors.
sparky (~_~)
chemrox - 14-4-2009 at 17:25
burn the field or apply Killsall. It works on monocots. We use it to kill Reed Canary Grass.
chief - 15-4-2009 at 02:22
Would sodium-chlorate be useful ? What amount needed for a field of quite tall plants ?
Besides: How can one early tell the difference between the M~o~n~s~a~n~t~o- and normal corn ? By usind the "r~o~u~n~d~u~p~"- herbizide, where it would
be te only thing that survives ?
[Edited on 15-4-2009 by chief]
not_important - 15-4-2009 at 04:55
"Roundup-ready" plants have a high tolerance for glyphosphate, which inhibits an enzyme in the pathway for synthesis of the aromatic amino acids. As
with almost any herbicide dosing a large number of plants will present a range of effectiveness, with dose ranges having some hardly being harmed and
others dieing, on up to killing nearly all the plants. Even the RR plants will act the same as the does of glyphosphate is increased, with some
starting to be stunted, then a higher percentage, then an increasing percentage being killed. Glyphosphate resistance has appeared in a number of
plants, including various weeds and strains of coca.
You can tell if its RR very early, through genetic analysis, or by dosing the plant with the normal amount of glyphosphate used with RR maize.
NaClO3 kills all plants, it is around 30 to 50 times as toxic to them as NaCl is; it is also toxic to animals. Moss is somewhat tolerant to chlorate.
In some countries NaClO3 is mixed with NaBO2 or Na2B4O7, as a flammability reducer and additional broadband herbicide. Both chlorate and borate are
broadband and persistent, with effectiveness lasting 4 months to as long as 5 years depending of dose and climate. Application rates appear to be
around 1,000 liters of a 1% solution per hectare.
chief - 15-4-2009 at 08:52
That's a lot helpful, thank you not-important ! Now: Since 1000 l of 1% solution make 10 kg chlorate: Would the effect be the same for distributed
NaClO3-powder ? Does this kill only tiny small plants or a halfway up plant too (when it's maybe 1 meter or even near ripeness) ?
And then: Is the "roundup" mainly such mentioned glyphosphate ? Easy and safe to manufacture ? Any black market known ?
[Edited on 15-4-2009 by chief]
sparkgap - 15-4-2009 at 18:19
I don't have my Merck Index nearby to check for original preparation references, but I did find this interesting article on synthesizing N-phosphonomethylglycine.
As far as I can tell, Roundup is distributed as a glyphosate salt, e.g. this.
sparky (~_~)
not_important - 16-4-2009 at 06:50
Chlorate is toxic to all parts of plants, absorption from the soil will kill roots and damage other parts of the plant. Young, growing plants are more
sensitive. Chlorate seems to be more effective than glyphosate in the short term, is much more persistent in the soil, much more likely to cause
runoff spillover effects, and more toxic to animals. Full effect as a broadcast solid takes higher application rates, 150-300 kg/ha, than application
as a defoliant spray; and also depends on rail or high soil moisture level to be effective -it sits on top of the soil until brought into solution.
http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&Article...
http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts/Abstract.aspx?AcNo...