By Sushil Grewal and Debalina Saha et.al
Pesticides are substances, either man-made or naturally occurring, that growers use to protect their crops. Their job is to manage pests like insects, weeds, fungi or even rodents that can harm plants. There are different types of pesticides depending on what they target, like insecticides for bugs, herbicides for weeds (Photo 1), and fungicides for fungi. They are categorized based on formulation and toxicity and play a vital role in protecting crops. However, adding adjuvants to pesticide mixtures may improve their performance. Understanding how adjuvants, especially surfactants, work can help growers make more effective, safer and economical pesticide applications.
In this article series, we will discuss details about adjuvants and surfactants, how they are different from each other, their application timings and types.
What are adjuvants?
According to Tu, M., & Randall, J. M. (2003) “Weed control methods handbook the nature conservancy,” adjuvants are chemical substances added to pesticide formulations or spray tanks to improve how the pesticide works. They do not have any direct pest control activity themselves, but they can:
- Improve the effectiveness of the pesticide
- Make it easier to mix with other products
- Change the way the spray behaves on plants
- Increase safety or reduce unintended effects
In other words, adjuvants help tailor pesticide applications to meet specific field needs, improve performance or adapt to local conditions.
Source : msu.edu