Two compounds, monosulfuron and methiopyrsulfuron (NPC-C9908), developed by research groups in China, are currently marketed in China. Outside mainland China, only limited public knowledge is available concerning these compounds.
Monosulfuron (CAS no.: 155860-63-2) is a new herbicide for the control of weeds in wheat (T. aestivum) and millet (Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica), with application rates ranging from 15 to 60 g a.i. ha−1. The molecule was discovered by Nankai University in 1993 and registered in China. Monosulfuron provides effective control of various broadleaf and grass weeds, such as Leptochloa chinensis, Amaranthus retroflexus, C. album, Abutilon theophrasti, Xanthium sibiricum Patrin., Portulaca oleracea, Acalypha australis, Solanum nigrum, Digitaria sanguinalis, Descurainia sophia, Echinochloa phyllopogon, Eriochloa villosa, and Puccinellia distans. Further properties and environmental data of monosulfuron have been described in several reports by Fan et al. and Wang et al. Interestingly, monosulfuron-ester sodium was recently reported as an efficient chemical-hybridizing agent for B. napus at a concentration of approximately 1% of that needed for herbicidal activity.
