Abstract: Release of the herbicide acetochlor was controlled by encapsulating it into the gel carrier that was obtained from the crosslinking of carboxylmethylcellulose (CMC) with Fe3+ ions, which is beneficial for reducing contamination of herbicides. The required time for 50% of acetochlor released into water (t50) was used to compare the release rate. The results indicated that, the t50 values from CMC hydrogels were below 8h, but the values from dried gels were improved to 100h. The less amount of herbicide loading in gel formulations resulted in a slower release rate. The release data were analyzed with a controlled release model, and the results indicated that the release of herbicide from dried gels was dominated by a diffusion mechanism. IR spectrum confirmed the interaction between CMC macromolecules and acetochlor through hydrogen bonding.