Definition of "daminozide" [daminozide]

• A chemical plant growth regulator, C6H12N2O3, formerly used to increase the storage life of fruit, and currently used as a growth retardant for azaleas, chrysanthemums, and other plants. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Consumers Union criticized the FDA for using antiquated and insensitive laboratory techniques that could not measure Alar below 500 parts per billion ppb, stating in Consumer Reports: "Looking for daminozide [Alar's a trade name] in apple juice with PAM II [the test method used by FDA] is like trying to catch speeders with a radar gun that doesn't work for speeds under 100 mph.""
• "The program was launched in 1990 to answer congressional concerns over the use of the chemical daminozide, or Alar, on apples."