Spray drift buffers are often required on herbicide labels to prevent potential drift effects to non-target plants. Buffers are typically derived by determining the distance at which predicted exposure from spray drift equals the ecotoxicology threshold for sensitive plant species determined in greenhouse tests. Field studies performed under realistic conditions have demonstrated, however, that this approach is far more conservative than necessary. In 2016, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that isoxaflutole (IFT), an herbicide used to control grass and broadleaf weeds, could adversely affect downwind non-target dicot plants at distances of ≥304 m from the edge of the treated field due to spray drift. This prediction implies that a buffer of at least 304 m is required to protect non-target plants. To refine the predicted buffer distance for IFT, we conducted a field study in which sensitive non-target plants (lettuce and navy bean, 2-4 leaf stage) were placed at various distances downwind from previously harvested soybean fields sprayed with Balance ® Flexx Herbicide. The test plants were then transported to a greenhouse for grow out following the standard vegetative vigor test protocol. There were three trials. One had vegetation in the downwind deposition area (i.e., test plants placed in mowed grass; typical exposure scenario) and two had bare ground deposition areas (worst-case exposure scenario). For both plant species in bare ground deposition areas, effects on shoot height and weight were observed at 1.5 m but not at downwind distances of ≥9.1 m from the edge of the treated area. No effects were observed at any distance for plants placed in the vegetated deposition area. The field study demonstrated that a buffer of 9.1 m protects non-target terrestrial plants exposed to IFT via spray drift even under worst-case conditions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.