Analysis of Concentrations of Clopyralid in Compost Piles

Clopyralid is a commonly used herbicide used to kill unwanted annual and perennial broadleaf plants in turf and lawn, range, pasture, right-of-ways, and some agricultural crops. When administered at effective doses, Clopyralid binds to the plant growth receptors causing uncontrolled and disorganized growth that ultimately leads to the plants death in a few days or weeks depending upon the species. This application note presents a method, using an extraction assay and HPLC, to analyze the Clopyrapid concentration in soil samples. The compost from the Pittsford leaf pile was determined to contain a concentration of 17.4 ± 2.80 µM Clopyralid. This concentration in the soil is high and would cause damage to plants such as the Red clover.