Pesticide Adjuvants Help Improve the Efficacy and the Performance of the Pesticide
Pesticide adjuvants are added in the pesticides to improve the performance of the pesticide, as well as to reduce product drifting, reduce foaming, and control acidity. This can include everything from wetter-spreaders to feeding stimulants. Moreover, pesticide adjuvants are used to enhance the efficacy of pesticides and other compounds that kill or control unwanted pests commonly found in or around crops. Pesticide adjuvants are either applied directly to the crop or are sprayed on the surrounding soil.
Adjuvants and surfactants are spray solution additives, and
are considered to improve the performance of the spray mixture. Surfactants are
a type of adjuvant designed to improve the sticking, spreading, absorbing,
emulsifying/dispersing, and/or pest-penetrating properties of the spray
mixture. Pesticide adjuvants, specifically surfactants, improve the
effectiveness of post-emergence pesticides.
Moreover, pesticide adjuvants offer several advantages such
as drift reduction, increased safety and effectiveness, and better mixing and
handling. Growing crop damage due to insects and other pests is increasing
consumption of pesticides worldwide. This, in turn, is expected to increase the
demand for pesticide adjuvants. More than 1 billion pounds of pesticides are
used in the United State each year and around 5.6 billion pounds are used
worldwide, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Furthermore, with the increasing demand for food due to the
increasing population worldwide, the demand for pesticide adjuvants is also
increasing at a rapid pace. For instance, according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, overall food production needs to
increase by 70% from 2005/07 to 2050 to sustain a population of 9.1 billion. Many
pesticides require the addition of an adjuvant, and some do not. A 30% to 50%
reduction in pest control can be expected when applying herbicides, insecticides,
or fungicides without the recommended adjunct. However, adjuvants can damage a
plant if the adjuvant is used at very high concentration or if the wrong
adjuvant is used.
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