In an effort to find safe natural products to function in traditional agricultural chemical roles, short-chain fatty acids were evaluated as desiccants for dry beans. Desiccation was evaluated in greenhouse studies on three dry bean cultivars: ‘Montcalm’ kidney, ‘Midnight’ black turtle, and ‘Vista’ navy bean. Caprylic (C8) and pelargonic acid (C9) were the most effective in the C2 through C10 range. Effective emulsifiers with C8 were Henkel Emsorb 6900 and Henkel Emsorb 6915. Organosilicone, saponified, methylated, and ethylated seed oil activator adjuvants enhanced the efficacy of the caprylic acid. C8 was also phytotoxic to velvetleaf, giant foxtail, and common lambsquarters; esters of C6, C8, and C10 fatty acids were comparatively less effective than C8.
Nomenclature: Common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L. #3 CHEAL; giant foxtail, Setaria faberi Herrm. #SETFA; velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti Medic. #ABUTH; dry beans, Phaseolus vulgaris L.
Additional index words: Caprylic acid, adjuvants, emulsifiers.
Abbreviations: AMS, ammonium sulfate; C2 to C10, carbon chains of 2 through 10; DAT, days after treatment; HFCS, high-fructose corn syrup.
