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UPL Sweep Power

UPL Sweep Power is a glufosinate ammonium 13.5% w/w SL non-selective contact post-emergent herbicide formulated for foam-based directed application in cotton, tea and other plantation crops. It is positioned as a low-cost alternative to manual inter-row weeding.

Composition / Active ingredient

  • Active ingredient: Glufosinate ammonium
  • Formulation: 13.5% w/w SL (soluble liquid)
  • Chemical class: Phosphinic acid (synthetic analogue of bialaphos, originally from Streptomyces hygroscopicus)

Mode of action

Glufosinate inhibits glutamine synthetase, the only enzyme that detoxifies ammonia produced during photorespiration. Within hours of foliar contact, ammonia accumulates to toxic levels, photosynthesis halts and chlorophyll breaks down. Visible necrosis appears in 24-48 hours; complete weed death takes 3-7 days. HRAC Group 10.

It is non-systemic and non-translocating — the herbicide only kills the foliage it directly contacts. This makes foam-directed application safe for cotton: the foam settles at soil level and does not splash on the crop canopy.

Target use and dose

Registered crops are cotton and tea. Two application modes are used:

  • Conventional spray: 1.32 L/acre per label, as a directed pre-plant or post-emergent application with hood
  • Foam-directed: about 250 ml/acre at 120 ml per 15-litre pump, applied at the soil level 20-25 days after sowing in cotton

In cotton, the foam-based directed application kills all grasses in 3-4 days with minimal crop contact. A 1-litre bottle (typically priced around ₹720) covers roughly 4 acres, saving approximately ₹5,000 per acre against ₹6,000 manual weeding costs.

Safety and regulatory status

Glufosinate is comparatively safer for operators than paraquat but is itself under regulatory review in the EU. There is no soil residual; the molecule is broken down by soil microbes within days. Drift to non-target broadleaf crops is a concern. For full-season cotton weed control, combine pre-emergent Pendimethalin Cotton Preemergent with post-emergent Hitweed Maxx Cotton / Kevat Ultra Cotton in-row, plus foam-directed Sweep Power at the soil level.

See also: Glufosinate Paraquat Bund Knockdown, Glyphosate Orchard Warning, Pendimethalin Cotton Preemergent, Hitweed Maxx Cotton, Kevat Ultra Cotton, Agil Propaquizafop Cotton.

References

  1. Sweep Power. UPL India.
  2. UPL Sweep Power — Glufosinate Ammonium 13.5% SL. Cultree.