Chemical Weed Control and Crop Injuries Due to Spray Drift: The Case of Dicamba

Abstract

Herbicide volatility and drift are serious problems for chemical weed control. The extended use of dicamba, especially due to the commercial release of dicamba-resistant crops, revealed many off-target dicamba injury issues for sensitive crops. The objective of the present study is to give information on the chemical properties and volatility of dicamba and highlight some key issues, while a systematic review of the recently reported cases is attempted. Unfortunately, the problem is increasing, with a huge majority of the injuries reported in the USA, but it is also present in many other countries. Several arable, horticultural, and perennial crops suffer from such damage. Specific measures and approaches are suggested in order to quantify, reduce, and prevent such problems, while the training of farmers and stakeholders and further research are certainly required for the optimization of the several alternative options.