Sodium chlorate green plant parts. It can also kill through root absorption. Sodium chlorate may be used to control a variety of plants including morning glory, canada thistle, johnson grass, bamboo, Ragwort, and St John's wort. The herbicide is mainly used on non-crop land for spot treatment and for total vegetation control on areas including roadsides, fenceways, and ditches. Sodium chlorate is also used as a defoliant and desiccant for: If used in combination with atrazine, it increases the persistence of the effect. If used in combination with 2,4-D, performance is improved. Sodium chlorate has a soil sterilant effect. Mixing with other
Sodium chlorate herbicides in aqueous solution is possible to some extent, so long as they are not susceptible to oxidation. The sale of sodium chlorate as a weedkiller was banned in the European Union in 2009, with existing stocks to be used within the following year. Chemical oxygen generators, such as those in commercial aircraft, provide emergency oxygen to passengers to protect them from drops in cabin pressure. Oxygen is generated by high-temperature decomposition of sodium chlorate: Heat required for this reaction is generated by oxidation of a small amount of iron powder mixed with the sodium chlorate, and the reaction consumes