Alachlor to return?

21 November 1997

Alachlor to return?

COULD banned herbicide alachlor be set for a comeback? The soil acting product was banned from the UK in 1992, but new research shows its environmental profile can be significantly improved by using it in a controlled release formulation.

Such formulations use activated clay particles to hold the active ingredient, only releasing it into the soil solution slowly, so reducing the risk of environmental damage through leaching.

Laboratory and field experiments show weed control in wheat is both improved and extended, say workers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. &#42