Quinoclamine is used in Europe, and was under evaluation in the Unites States for the control of liverwort in nursery crops. Liverwort is a nonvascular, chlorophyll-containing plant that can be problematic in greenhouse and nursery crops. POST-applied quinoclamine controls liverwort. However, liverwort structures vary in their sensitivity to POST-applied quinoclamine. Specifically, archegonial receptacles (female) are much more tolerant of quinoclamine than either antheridial receptacles (male) or thalli (leaflike structures). A series of studies were conducted to, first, document the degree of differential sensitivity between tissues to quinoclamine, and second, to determine the basis of this differential sensitivity. The dose that results in 50% of the population being controlled (I50) of antheridial receptacles and juvenile thalli were estimated to be 1.60 and 1.27 kg·ha−1, respectively. The I50 of archegonial receptacles could not be estimated, but exceeded 10.45 kg·ha−1. Chlorophyll content varied between liverwort tissues, but the content did not correlate to quinoclamine sensitivity. Absorption of 14C after application of radiolabeled quinoclamine was less in archegonial receptacles than in either antheridial receptacles or thalli. Scanning electron microscopy of the surface of the liverwort tissues revealed that archegonial receptacles had smaller pores (equivalent to stomata in higher plants) than either antheridial receptacles or thalli. The tolerance of archegonial receptacles to quinoclamine can be partially, but not exclusively, attributed to reduced absorption. This reduced absorption may be attributed to the limited pore size and less total pore area of the archegonial receptacles.

Quinoclamine has been evaluated for POST control of liverwort in nursery crop production. Nearly all previous research has assumed that high spray volumes (e.g., > 935 L/ha) were required for quinoclamine to be effective. To test this assumption, quinoclamine was applied to liverwort in a factorial treatment arrangement of three rates (1.4, 1.9, and 3.8 kg ai/ha), three spray volumes (374, 1,112, and 1,871 L/ha), and two spray pressures (276 and 414 kPa). Control was influenced primarily by quinoclamine rate, although there was a trend for greater control with higher spray pressure. Absorption and translocation studies using 14C-quinoclamine established that 14C absorption into liverwort thalli approached 70% of the amount applied within 9 h after application. Although liverwort lacks vascular tissue, 14C is readily translocated away from the site of entry and tended to accumulate at thallus margins. Neither absorption nor translocation was influenced by spray volume. The perceived requirement for high spray volume may be a misdirected assumption on the basis of the high proportion of inert ingredients within the current formulation. Conversely, this assumption has no basis within liverwort biology or quinoclamine behavior.

Quinoclamine is an herbicide under development for control of liverwort, a weed common in nursery crops. With respect to liverwort control, quinoclamine has been considered to primarily have POST activity. However, some PRE activity has been reported. Growth media sorption studies with 14C-quinoclamine indicate that only 0.64% of the quinoclamine amount that enters the media remains unadsorbed and thus available to be taken up by established plants or propagules. Computer modeling revealed that a large portion of the surface of the quinoclamine molecule is positively charged, which likely is the reason for its high adsorptivity. In a simulation of PRE activity, hydroponically grown liverwort and germinating gemmae were exposed to increasing quinoclamine concentrations. Phytotoxicity to both plants and gemmae was obtained with a minimal concentration of 4 to 6 mg L−1. Based upon the projected use rate, and assuming minimal vertical infiltration depth, the theoretical concentration of quinoclamine within the aqueous phase of a pine bark substrate would be approximately 8 mg L−1. In toto, results indicate that the projected use rate will result in sufficient quinoclamine in the aqueous phase of a pine bark substrate to provide PRE control of gemmae propagules as well as to contribute to the efficacy of POST applications to established liverwort.