2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula Cl2C6H3OCH2CO2H. It is usually referred to by its ISO common name 2,4-D. It is a systemic herbicide that kills most broadleaf weeds by causing uncontrolled growth, but most grasses such as cereals, lawn turf, and grassland are relatively unaffected.
Containers of 2-4 D herbicide, ca. 1947
Effect of 2-4-D foliar application on Lantana
Herbicides, also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds. Selective herbicides control specific weed species while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed, while non-selective herbicides kill plants indiscriminately. The combined effects of herbicides, nitrogen fertilizer, and improved cultivars has increased yields of major crops by 3x to 6x from 1900 to 2000.
A field after application of a herbicide
Weeds controlled with herbicide
Herbicides being sprayed from the spray arms of a tractor in North Dakota.
Handicapped children in Vietnam, most of them victims of Agent Orange, 2004