Challenging Truths and Proactive Solutions for the Future of Crop Protection
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The adjuvant market has expanded rapidly over the past 20 years. Established technology has met conventional requirements over that time. However, new problems are arising that require development of the next generation of adjuvants. We are poised to identify new problems, provide solutions, and describe how these can be implemented.
Cutting-Edge Products, Agile Mindset Necessary to Meet New Challenges
Adjuvants cannot overcome herbicide resistance, but their proper use can improve efficacy and slow down the development of resistance.
The New Problems
Over the last decade, several agricultural problems, both technical and regulatory, have emerged that require a new generation of adjuvants. Most of these emerging problems concern some form of environmental protection, in contrast to prior philosophies of only improving pesticide performance.
The development of phenoxy resistant crops has led to stricter requirements for controlling off-site movement of phenoxy herbicides. This can lead to damage to non-engineered crops and natural vegetation at field edges. Additionally, this can impact endangered plant species or plants that are food sources for endangered species (such as milkweed, the primary food for Monarch butterflies). Compliance with the Endangered Species Act is now a very important regulatory concern for pesticide use.
Herbicide resistant weeds have emerged from the use of post-emergent herbicides. Adjuvants cannot overcome herbicide resistance, but their proper use can improve efficacy and slow down the development of resistance. Optimizing herbicide performance can have positive environmental benefits such as keeping total pesticide usage at ideal levels
Increased agricultural demand for water amidst supply constraints has led to a greater awareness of the limitations of irrigation. Changing rainfall patterns are impacting rainfed crops as well. Demand for greater water use efficiency (WUE) has led to a need for water-sparing adjuvant technology.
Modern crops require optimal levels of nitrogen and phosphorus to produce high yields and economic returns. Major concerns about N and P runoff impacting water have arisen. Additionally, concerns about N use impact on greenhouse gas emissions have emerged. Additives to improve fertilizer use efficiency are urgently needed to meet these new considerations.
A lack of new pesticide modes of action, coupled with the continued withdrawal of older generation products, has placed new emphasis on combination products. These combos and tank mixes require higher levels of formulation expertise as well as optimized adjuvant systems. This, along with a slower pace of new adjuvant ingredient introduction, has placed a premium on new adjuvant development. Our existing tools must be used in more innovative ways to meet these challenges.
New spray technology such as “See and Spray” and drone applications are placing new requirements on adjuvants. Innovative formulations of highly concentrated pesticides will likely require adjuvants to supplement the formulations for optimal activity. Using as little water as possible is a new requirement for advanced application methods.
Improved water use efficiency has been demonstrated for high value crops in many arid regions. Cost effective solutions for row crops such as corn and soybeans are under development with promising results. Optimal water use will have the benefit of promoting optimal use of other inputs.
Solving New Problems
In response to increased phenoxy herbicide use, the adjuvant industry has responded with the next generation of drift control agents and combined anti-drift and anti-volatility products. Combined with new nozzle technology, these adjuvants help to put more-on-target and eliminate off-site movement. This multi-year effort will have benefits for future pesticide use for environmental protection. Today is the least regulated day of the rest of our careers. Requirements at the federal and state levels will only be increasing.
The rise of weeds resistant to post-emergent herbicides is driving more use of pre-emergent herbicides. Adjuvants to improve the performance of pre-emergent herbicides (better efficacy, improved longevity of action, reduced runoff and leaching) are needed to improve the environmental profile of this class of chemistry. The annual stories of atrazine runoff in the Mississippi River are a constant reminder of this problem.
Improved water use efficiency has been demonstrated for high value crops in many arid regions. Cost effective solutions for row crops such as corn and soybeans are under development with promising results. Optimal water use will have the benefit of promoting optimal use of other inputs.
Discovering adjuvant materials for optimal fertilizer use efficiency is a difficult problem. N can be lost to the crop by a variety of mechanisms (microbial degradation, leaching, volatilization, enzymatic breakdown). Discovering an efficient general purpose fertilizer adjuvant is a challenging problem and research is underway. Remember von Leibig’s discovery that the efficiency of fertilizer is limited by the element in least supply. Any effective technology must take this concept into account.
Adjuvants for spray mix combinations often require oil and water-based ingredients to be mixed together. The formulators toolbox has materials to solve this problem, but the complexity of some combinations pushes current technology to its limits. Innovative ways of using existing ingredients as well as new ingredients are urgently needed.
New application methods can create new challenges. Larger droplet sprays intended to reduce drift (consequently reducing coverage) and ultra-low volume drone applications mean every droplet must work harder to deliver the pesticide product. Tank mixes described above mean every droplet has to cope with multiple challenges – oil and water compatibility, spreading, sticking to leaves – to be an effective spray. New adjuvants under development seek to optimize droplet performance.
Ongoing upgrades to manufacturing capabilities ensure the most challenging adjuvant formulation can be manufactured in an efficient and economical way.
Deploying New Technologies
To meet these challenges, an adjuvant producer must be agile in research and development, regulatory expertise, and modern manufacturing. A commitment to strong R&D is essential for meeting the new challenges. In-house regulatory expertise ensures an up-to-date understanding of the rapidly changing regulatory environment. Having strong relationships with basic ingredient suppliers to ensure an uninterrupted supply chain is a stay-in-business requirement. Ongoing upgrades to manufacturing capabilities ensure the most challenging adjuvant formulation can be manufactured in an efficient and economical way. Inventing the future of adjuvants requires the successful integration of all the above disciplines into a single whole.
For over 25 years, Adjuvants Unlimited has been developing advanced tank mix adjuvant and inert ingredient solutions for the pesticide industry, offering world class services in formulation, production, and logistics support. Adjuvants Unlimited is an ISO 9001:2015 certified organization. Learn more at adjuvantsunlimited.com
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