Method of eradication of undesirable vegetation using fluorescein dyes
OwnerFred W. Putsche, Jr.inventor
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Abstract
A method of eradicating undesirable vegetation including the steps of: preparing a predetermined concentration of fluorescent dye, the dye including a photodynamic pigment which in the presence of oxygen acts as a sensitizer for photo-oxidation in the vegetation; and applying a charge of the dye to soil in the vicinity of the roots of the vegetation, thereby leading to the absorption of the dye by the roots of the vegetation such that the dye reacts with proteins, fatty acids, and lipids at cellular membranes of the vegetation causing membrane lipid peroxidation; and as a result of the reaction, causing the destruction of cells and tissues and the subsequent death of the vegetation.
Claims18
A method of eradicating unwanted vegetation comprising the steps of:
- preparing a dye solution having a predetermined concentration of a regenerative fluorescein dye, said dye being a photodynamic pigment which in the presence of oxygen acts as a sensitizer for photo-oxidation in the vegetation, and
- applying a charge of the fluorescein dye solution, using dispersion means to soil in the vicinity of the roots of the vegetation for subsequent absorption thereby, so as to initiate a reaction between the fluorescein dye and proteins, fatty acids, and lipids at a cellular membrane of the vegetation, which thereby causes membrane lipid peroxidation, resulting in the destruction of cell fibers in the vegetation and the subsequent death thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.