Diquat is the ISO common name[4] for an organic dication that, as a salt with counterions such as bromide or chloride is used as a contact herbicide that produces desiccation and defoliation.

[8] Initial attempts to commercialize diquat focused on its ability to control broadleaved annual weeds while damage to cereal crops was, by comparison, minor.

A concern in that use was the possibility that the compound could cause stem-end rot, but protocols were developed that overcame this problem and it was introduced commercially for potato haulm desiccation in 1961.

[9][10] In the mid 1960s, diquat's use was extended to the pre-harvest desiccation of oilseed crops such as sunflower, linseed, cotton and soya.

The purpose of the label is "to provide clear directions for effective product performance while minimizing risks to human health and the environment".

[19] This shows that use is fairly stable and in 2018, the latest date for which figures are available, was about 300,000 pounds (140,000 kg) annually, almost exclusively in fruit and vegetable crops.

[24] The Codex Alimentarius database maintained by the FAO lists the maximum residue limits for diquat in various food products.

[25] Diquat bonds strongly to mineral and organic particles in soil and water, where it remains without significant degradation for years.

[26][27] By international convention and in many countries the law, pesticide labels are required to include the common name of the active ingredients.

These names are not the exclusive property of the holder of any patent or trademark and as such they are the easiest way for non-experts to refer to individual chemicals.

It is therefore difficult to provide a comprehensive list of brand names for products containing diquat in its many salt and ester forms.