Paraquat was first introduced in Malaysian rubber plantations in 1961 - exactly 51 years ago. Since then its use has become widespread making it one of the most widely sold weedkillers globally. As a broad-spectrum (or non-selective) herbicide, paraquat kills both broadleaved weeds and grasses. It is used on fruit and plantation crops (banana, cocoa, coffee, oil palm), field crops (maize), in direct seeding (or conservation tillage), in forestry and as a defoliant or desiccant to dry crop plants (such as cotton, pineapple, soy bean and sugar cane). The main product line is 'Gramoxone', marketed by Syngenta. In 2007, Syngenta stated that it had a 75% share of the paraquat market1. But since then this share has probably decreased due to increased production of generic brands, especially by Chinese companies.
展开▼
