Photolysis of the herbicide dicamba in aqueous solutions and on corn () epicuticular waxes.

Dicamba, 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid, has been used in agriculture as an herbicide for over fifty years, and has seen an increase in use in the past decade due to the development of glyphosate resistant weeds and soybeans genetically modified to resist dicamba. Despite the previous use of dicamba, many questions remain regarding its environmental fate, especially the new commercial formulations used on genetically modified crops. Here, the photolysis of dicamba, including the commercial formulation Diablo®, is examined in aqueous solutions of varying water quality and on the surface of corn epicuticular waxes.