Modern agriculture requires advanced techniques to ensure high productivity and plant protection against pests and diseases. One of the key components for the successful application of pesticides and fertilizers is agricultural adjuvants.
These products are widely used to improve the efficiency and stability of crop applications. In this article, we'll explore what agricultural adjuvants are, the different types of agricultural adjuvants and how the use of agricultural adjuvants for plant protection is essential to ensure crop health and yield.
What are agricultural adjuvants?
Agricultural adjuvants are substances added to spray mixtures to improve the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of these solutions. In other words, they enhance the effectiveness of products applied to plants, such as pesticides and foliar fertilizers.
These compounds don't act directly to combat pests or supply nutrients, but their presence is crucial to ensuring a more uniform distribution and better adherence of products to plant surfaces. They also perform a variety of functions, from increasing the penetration of the product into the plant to reducing spray drift caused by wind, thus optimizing the use of resources and reducing environmental impacts.
The adjuvant market in Brazil has seen significant growth in recent years. In 2023, the sector's value reached R$2.9 billion, with an average annual growth rate of 19% since 2015, according to Kynetec. Soy is the main crop that demands agricultural adjuvants, accounting for 56% of the market, and the Midwest region leads purchases, concentrating 41% of demand. These products are widely used to improve the coverage, adherence and absorption of pesticides, promoting a more efficient and sustainable application.
The growing importance of adjuvants in Brazilian agribusiness reflects the search for greater productivity and a reduction in environmental impacts. With the ability to reduce drift, adjuvants minimize the dispersion of agrochemicals and enhance the effectiveness of active ingredients, guaranteeing better results in the field and promoting applicator safety.
Types of agricultural adjuvants
There are various types of agricultural adjuvants, each with specific functions and different applications. Knowing these categories is essential for farmers to choose the ideal type according to their crop's needs. Below are the main types:
Surfactants
These are perhaps the best known adjuvants, as they act as wetting and spreading agents. They reduce the surface tension of water, facilitating uniform coverage of leaves and other parts of the plant. They are ideal for mixtures that require high adhesion to plant surfaces.
Mineral and vegetable oils
Oil-based adjuvants help to reduce the evaporation of water from the spray and improve the absorption of the products applied. They are often used in crop protection products as they intensify penetration into the deeper layers of the leaves.
Defoamers
During the preparation of spray mixtures, foaming can be a problem, making handling and application difficult. Defoamers control foam production, making it easier to prepare the treatment mixture and ensuring more efficient spraying.
Acidifying and buffering agents
The stability of the mixture's pH is essential for the effectiveness of the products. Acidifying adjuvants help adjust the pH, making the environment more favorable for the action of pesticides and fertilizers. These products are essential for preventing the degradation of pH-sensitive compounds.
Drift controllers
Drift is an unwanted phenomenon in spraying, in which the wind carries the droplets away from the target, wasting the product and causing environmental damage. Drift controllers increase the size of the droplets, reducing the chances of dispersion by the wind and improving the accuracy of the application.
Penetrating
These are adjuvants that help the active ingredients penetrate the plants, increasing the absorption and effectiveness of the products applied. These adjuvants are especially useful in conditions of high humidity or on plants with thicker foliage.
These are just some of the types of agricultural adjuvants. The right choice must take into account the type of crop, the climatic conditions and the products to be applied, ensuring maximum performance and plant safety.
Agricultural adjuvants for plant protection
The application of agricultural adjuvants for plant protection is an essential practice to ensure that pesticides and nutrients reach their destination effectively. As we have seen, adjuvants do not have a direct effect on pest or disease control, but their contribution to crop protection is undeniable. This is because they optimize the use of applied products, increasing the efficiency of applications and minimizing losses.
One of the standout adjuvants on the market is LabMulti, a multifunctional enhancer that increases leaf coverage and penetrates better into the waxy layer of the leaves, promoting wetting and adhesion. It also acts to reduce foam and drift when preparing the treatment mixture, which maximizes the effect of the pesticides applied. With the growing need to adapt to adverse climatic conditions and the focus on responsible agricultural practices, adjuvants have become an essential solution for maximizing the efficiency of agricultural operations and meeting market demands.
