There are hundreds of herbicides registered by the EPA that are used in agriculture and natural area settings every day. While these materials have greatly improved human life and health, most people could only name a couple of herbicides. Interestingly, one of these is usually the oddly named – 2,4-D. So, why is this? Why does a herbicide that doesn’t sport a snappy trade name often get remembered?
There are many reasons why 2,4-D is so often remembered. For one, it was the first synthetic herbicide to be marketed, and it transformed agricultural, aquatic and natural area weed control. However, the primary reason is that 2,4-D is most commonly associated with the infamous Agent Orange. So, this begs the question, is 2,4-D synonymous with Agent Orange? Spoiler alert…2,4-D is not Agent Orange, but it was a part of it and that is typically where confusion arises. To clarify, Agent Orange was a mixture of two herbicides – with names that are pretty similar: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. That second half of the mixture, 2,4,5-T contained dioxin, a chemical compound that can cause cancer and other health issues. This led the EPA to banning 2,4,5-T from use in the United States in 1985.
Despite its infamous history, 2,4-D continues to be one of the most widely used herbicides for managing plants. As one of the first plant hormone targeting herbicides to be discovered, it revolutionized weed control in agriculture and natural resources. We invite you to listen to our latest Working in the Weeds podcast episode, “Herbicides 101: 2,4-D” — to learn more about this herbicide and how it’s used for aquatic plant management.
Helpful Resources
- Data Requirements for Pesticide Registration (US EPA)
- 2,4-D Compound Summary (PubChem)
- 2,4,5-T Compound Summary (PubChem)
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UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. Turning Science Into Solutions.
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