terbufos

Terbufos is a chemical compound used in insecticides and nematicides. It is part of the chemical family of organophosphates. It is a clear, colourless to pale yellow or reddish-brown liquid and sold commercially as granulate.

== History == Terbufos is used on various crops including bananas, beans, citrus, coffee, groundnuts, sorghum, potatoes, sunflowers and maize as soil cover to combat wireworms, mossy beetles, beet flies and the black bean louse. It is not approved for use in the European Union. Also the World Health Organization classifies terbufos as a class Ia compound, meaning that terbufos is extremely hazardous. The maximum residue limit in the European Union is 0.01 mg/kg terbufos for most crops and animal products. The compound was first registered in 1974 in the United States, together with a United States patent of organophosphates for use in corn fields to deter corn rootworms. Between 1987 and 1996, an average of about 7.5 million pounds (about 3,400 tons) of the compound was used each year. In November 2006, BASF sold its global Terbufos insecticide business to American AMVAC (American Vanguard Corporation).