What is the use of sulphuric acid in agriculture?
The application of sulphuric acid to growing potato plants is carried out for the following reasons: * Killing off the shoots (haulms) of the potatoes makes mechanical lifting of the tubers at harvest very much easier. * Killing off the haulms also makes the plant move resources to the tubers so giving them a growth burst prior to harvesting. The use of this chemical is strictly controlled, with stringent conditions being placed on those who use it. Sulphuric acid is approved as a Commodity Substance. These are chemicals which have a variety of non-pesticidal uses, but which also have minor uses as pesticides. If such a substance is to be used as a pesticide, it requires an approval under COPR and is granted an approval for use as a pesticide, which is subject to the general Conditions for Use set out in Schedule 3 of COPR. These conditions require any person who uses a pesticide to take all reasonable precautions to protect the health of human beings, creatures and plants, to safeguar
