Imazamox (2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-5- (methoxymethyl)-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid) is a systemic herbicide that moves throughout the plant tissue and prevents plants from producing a necessary enzyme, acetolactate synthase (ALS), which is not found in animals. Susceptible plants will stop growing soon after treatment, but plant death and decomposition will occur over several weeks.
Imazamox is used for the control of vegetation in and around aquatic sites and terrestrial non-crop sites. It is herbicidally active on many submerged, emergent, and floating broadleaf and monocot aquatic plants in and around standing and slow- moving water bodies. It is used as herbicide on sunflower seed, alfalfa, oilseed rape and soya bean seed and used for the control of most annual and perennial broadleaf weeds and grasses, woody species, and riparian and emergent aquatic weed species.
Imazamox is only moderately persistent, and it degrades aerobically in the soil to a non-herbicidal metabolite which is immobile or moderately mobile. Imazamox also degrades by aqueous photolysis.