Glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) residues were extracted using acidified methanol and their concentrations in the samples were determined by a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Glyphosate was detected in R. fruticosus nectar and pollen samples that were taken within a timeframe of two to seven days after the application on the crop as a desiccant.

August 8, 2025 - As a systemic herbicide it is not a true desiccant as it can take weeks rather than days for the crop to die back and dry out after application. Glyphosate works by poisoning the shikimate pathway which is found in plants and microorganisms but not in animals.

December 8, 2022 - Glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) residues were extracted using acidified methanol and their concentrations in the samples were determined by a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Glyphosate was detected in R. fruticosus nectar and pollen samples that were taken within a timeframe of two to seven days after the application on the crop as a desiccant.

November 3, 2017 - Cornucopia’s Take: The industry has long disputed the use of glyphosate as a desiccant, or tried to excuse its use. It is now becoming common knowledge that this practice is exposing everyone who eats conventional foods made from grains to increasing levels of glyphosate residues in food.

The introduction of genetically modified “Roundup Ready” crops—which allow farmers to spray large amounts of the herbicide on their fields without killing the crops—in the mid-1990s dramatically increased its agricultural use, but another lesser known agricultural use of glyphosate is as a pre-harvest desiccant, or drying agent.

November 29, 2021 - Glyphosate is being used as a desiccant on crops like wheat, barley, pulses, and oats (Fleury, 2017). Glyphosate isn’t actually a registered desiccant. Many producers use it as such because it is cheaper and effectively does the same job as ...

May 7, 2024 - It works by inhibiting the production ... to Roundup thrive despite its use. In non-GMO crops such as oats, glyphosate is used for desiccation at harvest to improve both quality and yield....

1 week ago - Glyphosate is absorbed through foliage, and minimally through roots, and from there translocated to growing points. It inhibits EPSP synthase, a plant enzyme involved in the synthesis of three aromatic amino acids: tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine. It is therefore effective only on actively growing plants and is not effective as a pre-emergence herbicide.

June 18, 2018 - In the meantime, farmers should not be using glyphosate to desiccate crops prior to harvest, he said. ... “If farmers are using it as a dry-down, then farmers should be changing their practices,” said Dahl. “That’s not what it is registered to be used for.

February 22, 2022 - However, its presence in bread, oatmeal and other products made from oats, wheat, barley, and other Non GMO and organic crops is largely due to its application as a pre-harvest drying agent or desiccant, claims The Detox Project, which says glyphosate-based herbicides are now sprayed on 70+ crops from oats, wheat, and barley, to almonds, apples, dry edible beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, grapes, rice, and sunflowers, with unknown long-term effects.

August 22, 2025 - Long before the public began worrying about residues, farmers were already using glyphosate for something very different from weed control: drying crops right before harvest. This practice, known as pre-harvest desiccation, has quietly become a standard tool in conventional agriculture.

February 3, 2025 - For food manufacturers to test their products a reference material is recommended to ensure their measurements are accurate. Oats are of particular interest as the herbicide, glyphosate, is used as a desiccant to dry out the crop before harvest.

September 9, 2019 - Events and mounting pressure through the growing season resulted in making this decision,” he said. ... The removal of glyphosate as a desiccant for dry beans follows a trend in other crop sectors where it is discouraged as a desiccant in durum wheat, as well as pulses and other grain crops.

October 28, 2020 - This is an agent applied to a crop just before harvest to kill the leaves so that the crop dries out more quickly and evenly. This makes harvesting more efficient, particularly for grain crops like wheat, barley, or oats.

December 7, 2022 - Glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) residues were extracted using acidified methanol and their concentrations in the samples were determined by a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Glyphosate was detected in R. fruticosus nectar and pollen samples that were taken within a timeframe of two to seven days after the application on the crop as a desiccant.

April 27, 2021 - In crops like mungbeans that have semi-indeterminant maturity traits that make them want to keep on growing, glyphosate applied at the label rate can give mixed results. The Australian Mungbean Association recently commissioned weeds researcher Dr Bhagirath Chauhan, QAFFI to investigate the efficacy of a range of possible alternatives to glyphosate as a desiccant, but there were no stand-out herbicide candidates.

Using glyphosate as a desiccant allows food to be harvested quickly but in turn, increases the likelihood that consumers will be directly exposed to the pesticide through the foods they eat, even after processing.