MALEIC HYDRAZIDE AS A GROWTH RETARDANT

THE APPLICATION OF MALEIC HYDRAZIDE /MH/ ON ROADSIDE PLOTS IN MINNESOTA WAS EVALUATED DURING A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD ENDING IN 1964 TO DETERMINE ITS USEFULNESS AS A GROWTH RETARDANT. THE CHEMICAL WAS APPLIED AT VARIOUS RATES, IN DIFFERENT SEASONS, AND WITH AND WITHOUT AN HERBICIDE. DEPENDING ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE APPLICATION, UP TO FIVE MOWINGS PER YEAR WERE ELIMINATED. SIX POUNDS OF MH PER ACRE APPLIED IN THE SPRING GENERALLY RETARDED THE GROWTH OF GRASS. WHEN APPLIED AT LESSER RATES, PARTICULARLY IN THE FALL, THE RESULTS WERE INEFFECTIVE. ON AREAS WHERE THE TURF WAS NEITHER DENSE NOR WELL ESTABLISHED, THE MH RETARDING EFFECT RESULTED IN UNDERIRABLE SPECIES, SUCH AS CRABGRASS, FOXTAIL AND RAGWEED BECOMING PROMINENT. TURF TREATED WITH MH, BUT WITHOUT AN HERBICIDE, GENERALLY DEVELOPED A MORE RAGGED APPEARANCE THAN UNTREATED AREAS. MH COMBINED WITH AN HERBICIDE AND APPLIED IN THE SPRING PROVIDED A SATISFACTORY TURF. MALEIC HYDRAZIDE APPLIED AT HIGH RATES ALONG FENCE LINES EFFECTIVELY REDUCED MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS. SATISFACTORY RESULTS ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO PROPER TIMING IN MAKING SPRING APPLICATIONS. IN THE LAKE STATES, WHERE THE SPRING SEASON IS SHORT, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO MAKE LARGE SCALE APPLICATIONS OF RETARDANT AT THE PROPER STAGE OF PLANT GROWTH. /BPR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Hpr, 616
• Corporate Authors:

  Minnesota Department of Highways

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Foote, L E
  • Himmelman, B F
• Publication Date: 1965-11-30

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Applications; Fences; Herbicides; Highways; Hydrides; Maintenance practices; Mowing; Rates; Reduction (Chemistry); Retarders (Concrete); Seasons; Urban growth; Utilization
• Geographic Terms: Minnesota
• Old TRIS Terms: Maleic hydride; Reduction; Retarders
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00218004
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Dec 1 1994 12:00AM