Every herbicide has only one common name but can have several trade names. It is often difficult to identify herbicides by trade name. The following chart "Herbicide Names" contains the common and trade names for 50 of the most popular herbicides used in the Arizona and southern California deserts. Common names must be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The company that first develops a herbicide has a proprietary use patent for that product for 17 years and it usually becomes known by that name. Almost all of the herbicides used in this region today are no longer under the original patent and are sold under various trade names. Only 4 of the 50 active ingredients on this list are still under patent. It is common for the same active ingredient to be sold under different names and this may not be because they are generics. There are often different formulations and uses for the same active ingredient that are sold under different trade names.

This list includes only those products that contain one active ingredient and does not include the numerous premixes or products containing two or more active ingredients. It also includes products that may not be registered for use in Arizona or California or that are available only for the turf and ornamental market. It is intended to help identify the active ingredients that are contained in the various commercial herbicides that are on the market today. There are hundreds of these and some are likely to have been missed.

To contact Barry Tickes go to: btickes@ag.arizona.edu.

For questions or comments on any of the topics please contact Marco Pena at the Yuma Agricultural Center.
College of Agriculture, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.