Sodium chlorate, i.e. NaClO3, compared with potassium chlorate (KClO3), sodium chlorate is more often used in industry because it can be directly produced by the chlor-alkali industry. Sodium chlorate is a strong oxidant in an acidic environment. It is usually used as an oxidant in the printing and dyeing industry to produce various chlorine salts. It is also one of the important raw materials for the production of explosives and can be used as a germicidal herbicide in agriculture. It is widely used for killing weeds in non cultivated land and wasteland reclamation. It has strong phytotoxicity to all green plants.