An innovative new formulation of paraquat herbicide, registered by the Environmental Protection Agency, sets a higher industry standard for protection of users while delivering the same effective broad-spectrum weed control that U.S. growers have relied on for more than 40 years.

New Gramoxone Inteon herbicide from Syngenta Crop Protection is as effective as Gramoxone Max in burndown and harvest aid uses, and offers an effective alternative to glyphosate technology.

“Gramoxone Inteon is a major advance in product stewardship and reduced risk,” said Rusty Wendt, Syngenta brand manager. “This new innovative formulation continues the Gramoxone tradition by providing outstanding weed control and an effective weed resistance management tool option.”

As a result of the new federal registration, Syngenta is in the process of obtaining the necessary state registrations for Gramoxone Inteon, including California and New York.

Gramoxone Inteon contains an assortment of new features to improve its safety profile. A product of years of research, Gramoxone Inteon reduces the risk of harm from accidental ingestion through the use of a novel formulation based on alginates. Alginates are natural, non-toxic products extracted from seaweed. In Gramoxone Inteon, alginates have no negative impact on product performance and come into play only in case of accidental ingestion.

The alginate technology helps prevent the product from being absorbed into the body, thereby increasing time and efficacy for medical treatment. An emetic, purgative and distinctive green dye further enhances the product safety profile.

Gramoxone Inteon is also distinguished by a new, less offensive alerting agent compared to Gramoxone Max. The alert has a mild “decaying grass” odor designed to warn the user against accidental ingestion. This new odor also has the benefit of creating a more positive user experience during application and handling.

Gramoxone Inteon delivers fast, efficient contact weed control of a comprehensive spectrum of broadleaf weeds, sedges and grasses. In field tests, Gramoxone Inteon provided control equal to that of Gramoxone Max when evaluating the weed control of 25 species, including horseweed, common ragweed and lambsquarters.

Furthermore, Gramoxone Inteon is an effective tool for glyphosate weed resistance management. By offering a completely different mode of action, Gramoxone Inteon helps preserve glyphosate technology for future use.

A burndown with Gramoxone Inteon allows growers to save their glyphosate applications for in-crop use.

“Now that glyphosate resistance has been confirmed in all major crop production regions in the United States, it's more important than ever growers take measures to preserve this valuable technology,” Wendt said. “It's time we gave glyphosate a rest by utilizing other chemistries like Gramoxone Inteon in burndown situations so that we can save glyphosate for in-crop use.”