Growers who use Simazine herbicide are encouraged to participate in the Environmental Protection Agency’s re-registration review of the product.

Public comment on the proposal is open until Oct. 4.

Simazine is a systemic herbicide created by Syngenta that is currently under EPA registration review, which is required every 15 years to update and modernize the science and risk assessment.

The product is crucial for weed control in numerous crops, including: oranges, grapefruit, lemons, almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, apples, pears, grapes, corn, cherries, peaches, plums, blueberries, strawberries, and other crops.

The EPA re-registered Simazine in 2006 and began its regularly scheduled registration re-review in June 2013, a process that typically takes six years to complete. In June 2016, EPA posted its draft ecological risk assessment.

After almost 60 years, Simazine,  a triazine herbicide, is considered an effective herbicide for use on certain fruit and nut crops, corn and Christmas tree plantings.

The product is reported as a highly-effective, low-cost weed control solution that demonstrates superior safety to the target crops and increased yields.

To comment online, see the simazine docket (EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0251) at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0251