EFFECT OF CHEMICAL RELEASE BEHAVIOUR OF DUST FORMULATIONS OF TECNAZENE ON POTATO SPROUT SUPPRESSION

Abstract

Vapour release patterns of tecnazene (1, 2, 4, 5-tetrachloro-3-nitrobenzene (TCNB)) dust formulation were determined by the chromatographic residue analysis of the formulations at various time intervals. At a storage temperature of 24^oC and 70 .2 relative humidity (RH), formulations with kaolin and molecular sieve (powder) as carriers, released rapidly (8.2 and 8.3% loss per week respectively) while release was very slow with bentonite as a carrier (1.7% per week). Triton X-405 additive was found to reduce, significantly, the rate of TCNB release from formulation with alumina as a carrier. Moderately low release rate and even distribution over the tubers were among the factors that seem to promote potato Sprout suppression by the dust formulations of TCNB at 24^o C.