Electrostatic wrapping of eupatorium-based botanical herbicide with chitosan derivatives for controlled release.

• Electrostatic wrapping of botanical herbicide with chitosan derivatives was realized. • The release of botanical herbicide using chitosan as carrier was well controlled. • The release kinetics of chitosan-carried botanical herbicide in water was investigated. • The released herbicide from chitosan carrier showed fine herbicidal effect on grass. To avoid the negative effects of chemical herbicides and prepare herbicide with long-term efficacy, the active ingredients of eupatorium adenophorum spreng (AIEAS, negatively charged) were used as a botanical herbicide, and based on electrostatic attraction, the self-assembled hydroxyl isopropyl chitosan (HPCTS, positively charged) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC, with good water solubility) were successfully employed as degradable and water-soluble carrier for AIEAS to realize its controlled release. The release of AIEAS from the chitosan carrier in water could be divided into two stages. In the first stage, a fast release of AIEAS was detected and the total amount of the released AIEAS reached 41.5 %, while the release rate effectively slowed down in the second stage, indicating that good balance between fast control of weeds and long-term efficacy was achieved through this controlled delivery system. The release kinetics of AIEAS during the whole release process showed good fit to the Ritger-Peppas model with Fickian diffusion as the dominant release mechanism. Moreover, it found that the released AIEAS from chitosan carrier showed fine herbicidal effect on barnyard grass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]