Adjuvants Needed for Biological Adoption
July 13, 2026 Over the past few years, ag retailers and their grower-customers have increasingly turned to biologicals in their crop fields. These products, oftentimes paired with conventional pest control options, can provide added modes of action to combat insects, weeds, and diseases.
Coupled with this trend is the need for adjuvants. These products, added to the application mix, can help with efficacy and handling.
“We see the adjuvants market for biologicals as early-stage but growing quickly,” says Ganesh Sanganwar, Ph.D., Business Development Manager at Syensqo. “What is clear is that biological adoption is increasing and expanding beyond high value crops, creating a stronger need for adjuvant technologies that make biological products easier to handle and more consistent in the field. We believe adjuvants will grow with biologicals but also contribute greatly to their larger adoption by enabling them to bridge the performance gap with traditional inputs.”
The numbers seem to back up Sanganwar’s assertion. According to the data, the U.S. biologicals market was estimated to be worth approximately $5 billion in 2025, with a projected compound annual growth rate of between 8% and 13% through 2030. Market watchers credit the rise in regenerative agriculture, carbon programs, and precision agriculture for much of this projected growth, not to mention the increasing popularity of organic farming.
“The status of the adjuvant market for biologicals is one of opportunity, for both in-can formulation development and tank mix adjuvants, in which shelf life, handling, and performance can be addressed,” says Gregory Lindner, Research Director at Croda Inc. “The adjuvant market specifically for biologicals as a sole treatment is currently small but growing and likely to parallel the growth of the biopesticide market for ‘organic-certified’ production environments.”
Branching Out from Specialty
Biologicals have also expanded beyond their initial market segments within the agricultural world. According to Martin Bauer, Head of Global Marketing at Clariant, there are two factors at work.
“Historically, biologicals were confined to niche, high-value fruit and vegetable crops,” says Bauer. “Today, we are seeing a push into row crops as corn, soybeans, and cereals, which is scaling up the total treated acreage.
“We also see a significant shift in how the market perceives these products,” he continues. “The understanding that biologicals are highly sensitive active ingredients requiring specialized formulation and delivery is becoming well established. The industry is moving past the era of simply trying to keep a microbe physically stable and alive ‘in-can.’ The focus today has expanded to optimizing delivery systems and ensuring consistency of field performance under variable environmental conditions. Adjuvants play a key role in this transition, solving the application challenges and ensuring consistent field efficacy, which allows biologicals to deliver reliable, economic returns for the growers.”
Another reason for this recent market growth for biologicals ties back to how these products are being employed by ag retailers and their grower-customers. For several years following their introduction, biologicals were oftentimes positioned as alternatives to conventional crop protection products. But in 2026, they are increasingly viewed as playing a complementary role. Indeed, according to data collected by CropLife® Magazine in its annual Biologicals Survey for 2026, 98% of biological use occurs as a supplement with conventional products.
“Biologicals are used primarily as supplements to conventional products rather than stand-alone replacements, reinforcing that most use occurs inside mixed programs where tank-mix compatibility and spray performance become important considerations,” says Priscila Castelani, Ph.D., Global Marketing and Research & Development Director for Crop Solutions at Indovinya. “The segment has changed significantly in three ways: Biological-treated [acres] are expanding quickly; adjuvants have shifted from ‘optional’ to more performance-critical tools under evolving regulatory and application requirements; and major suppliers are launching or positioning products specifically as bio-compatible tank-mix performance boosters signaling accelerating investment and commercialization.”
Even more recently, adds Castelani, the ongoing implementation of the new Endangered Species Act (ESA) rules by the EPA on crop protection products and application have added to the need for adjuvants use when biological products are involved.
“Biological products are not exempt from the regulatory obligations of ESA and must undergo EPA review to ensure they do not jeopardize listed species or critical habitats,” she says. “For example, microbial biopesticides or RNAi-based products with narrow modes of action may pose limited risks to non-target organisms such as vertebrates, aquatic species, or pollinators. Similarly, products with rapid degradation or low drift and runoff potential are less likely to impact sensitive habitats. As a result, biologicals are often perceived as more ‘ESA-friendly’ due to their generally lower toxicity, specificity, and environmental persistence.”
As EPA’s ESA implementation focuses on reducing exposure from spray drift, runoff, and erosion, the market is placing more emphasis on “getting more droplets on target,” says Castelani. This increased pressure to comply with ESA has led to expanded buffer zones, restrictions on the timing of applications as well as drift reduction agents and runoff mitigation actions. Bio-enabled and bio-compatible adjuvants increase the likelihood of biological use that would lower toxic profiles and reduce off-target impacts.
“This stewardship-driven environment elevates the role of adjuvants that improve deposition and reduce drift, creating a larger ‘spray-performance platform’ that can also help stabilize biological performance,” she says.
Factors to Consider for Use
To successfully employ adjuvants and biologicals into their equipment product tanks, custom applicators need to consider several important factors. These include:
- Biological compatibility. Biological products often contain living microorganisms, spores, microbial metabolites, plant extracts, or other sensitive biological actives. An adjuvant that performs well with a conventional synthetic pesticide may not be suitable for a biological product. It is essential to evaluate whether the adjuvant affects microbial viability, germination, growth, metabolism, or bioactivity.
- Tank-mix compatibility and conditions. Factors such as pH, water hardness, salts, fertilizers, pesticides, and tank-mix partners can influence biologicals. The adjuvant should support a stable and uniform spray solution without causing flocculation, sedimentation, excessive foam, clogging, or loss of biological activity.
- Application performance. Biologicals often need good coverage, retention, and deposition on the target surface. Depending on the product and mode of action, the adjuvant may need to improve wetting, spreading, adhesion, droplet retention, or protection against environmental stress. For microbial products, field stressors such as ultraviolet radiation (UV), desiccation, temperature, and humidity can strongly affect performance.
“Applicators should consider adjuvants that contain UV protection against the sun’s damaging radiation, humectants to maintain viability, and buffered systems to maintain osmotic balance that protect microbial integrity,” advises Jennifer Bear, Director of Innovation at Exacto, LLC. “Certain technology platforms, such as seed treatments and drones, can generate enough energy to damage biologicals. The addition of a compatible adjuvant will preserve the viability of a biological.”
A Technological Future
New ag tech could be another driver motivating growth in the biologicals adjuvant sector. As new application technologies such as drones and targeted spraying accelerate specialization, low-volume drone adjuvants focusing on retention, coverage, compatibility in concentrated mixes, and drift reduction will continue to emerge.
“Precision technology is a perfect fit for biologicals,” says Bear. “Biologicals are usually geared to one pest or one disease. They require correct placement and correct timing. See & Spray systems identify one pest at a time. Variable rate application pairs the dose to the pest pressure. The future of biologicals will lead to a highly technical reliance on adjuvants to optimize performance like what we have experienced with synthetic chemistries.”
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