Posted May 17, 2019 

The main purpose of adjuvants is to improve the “activity” of a pesticide product. These improvements – both physical and chemical – generally lead to better absorption and, as a result, a more efficient use of the pesticide. Adjuvants are mixed with crop protection or crop nutrition products in the sprayer tank.

According to Cori Johnston, proprietary products manager with Loveland Products Canada, adjuvants give pesticides the best opportunity to perform consistently at their full potential.

“This can include increasing herbicide activity and rainfastness, removing damaging residues from spray tanks or eliminating foam from the spray tank,” Johnston says, who added adjuvants can increase herbicide absorption into plant tissue and can also decrease photodegradation of the herbicide.

“Adjuvants break the surface tension of the water droplet which provides increased spreading on the leaf surface that, along with the increased penetration of surfactants, increases absorption,” she says.

Loveland Products offers a range of adjuvants, as well as water conditioners and tank cleaners that help to maximize pesticide performance, and improve environmental safety through drift reduction and removal of pesticide residues. 

For instance, LI 700, Liberate, Valid and MSO reduce the damages from unwanted consequences of spray drift through the production of uniform medium-sized droplets. “We like to say they produce droplets in the Goldilocks zone: not too big, not too small,” says Johnston.

Loveland Products also offers Choice Weathermaster, a hard water conditioner for use with agricultural chemicals. “This reduces the negative impacts of water on pesticides,” she notes. “For example, hard water ties up herbicide molecules which reduces activity or moderate pH which contributes to the breakdown of pesticides in the spray solution.”

While All Clear tank cleaner is a surfactant and degradant that removes pesticide deposits and other debris, including sticky and oily substances from tanks, hoses, booms and nozzles.

“Adjuvants are a critical part of optimizing product performance in order to optimize crop performance,” Johnston asserts. “This goes back to allowing pesticides to perform at their full potential by reducing potential water source or environmental impacts that can negatively impact performance.”

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Posted June 06, 2019