What Are Agricultural Spray Adjuvants?
If this is your first time reading about agricultural spray adjuvants, then here is an article that can provide valuable answers to what adjuvants are and what they do. Agricultural spray adjuvants can be used to enhance the effectiveness of pesticides, such as fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides.
Killing Pests
Just like medical adjuvants, agricultural spray adjuvants may not be active in controlling or killing pests. As a matter of fact, they are just additives that modify the property of the spray solution. Thus, it improves the ability of the pesticides to target, penetrate or protect the organism.
Ingredients of Adjuvants
The ingredients of this spray solution include emulsifiers, oils, salts, and surfactants. Each of the ingredients will modify the spray solution itself so the properties will be improved, such as the droplet size, penetration, and spreading, among other characteristics.
Additives
The said additives could be included in a formulation with a pesticide or would be added to a tank separately. When included in the pesticide formulations, they will be called in-can adjuvants. Such may be added separately when the spray solution is prepared.
The amount of pesticide required below the recommended use rate will not be reduced by agricultural spray adjuvants. As a matter of fact, it is illegal to use pesticide in the U.S. when not specified on the label. Nevertheless, the U.S. law governing the use of pesticides would allow the rates that are lower than what is indicated on the label.
How Adjuvants Are Used
There are a few different types of adjuvants that perform specific functions, which include buffering, dispersing, emulsifying, spreading, sticking, and wetting.
Activator adjuvants – improve what pesticides already do. Basically, they contribute to better absorption. Nitrogen-based fertilizers, oils, and surfactants generally belong to this category.
Special purpose adjuvants – this type of adjuvant is able to fix issues with a regular product, as it makes it better. The functions that belong to this category include buffering and conditioning agents, compatibility agents, defoaming agents, drift control agents, and deposition agents. Generally, all these would alter those physical characteristics of a spray product. The application problems would be reduced using colorants, foam markers, suspension agents, and tank cleaners.
Choosing the Correct Adjuvant
It is important that you know what you want out of your product. Then, you can list down the potential choices for adjuvants to narrow down on your preferences. So here are a few things that you need to remember.
-Read what is on the label of the pesticide
-Use adjuvants made or agricultural or horticultural purposes
-Try to stick to a trusted dealer or brand
Take note that the quality of adjuvants can be determined on its label. Although one adjuvant performs multiple functions, it will not solve each problem associated with pesticide products. If you are thinking about adding adjuvants, give the pesticide some time to take effect first.
You have to know what a pesticide does before deciding to add something into it to make it a better product. If you’re not sure or have questions get in touch with Precision Agronomics today!
Precision Agronomics is located at 9438 West SR 28 in West Lebanon, IN and is proud to serve: Marshfield, Johnsonville, Foster, Stone Bluff, Bismarck, and the surrounding areas. Contact us today for more information!
