Innovation and Technology are Driving the Next Generation of Crop Performance Products
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Precision Laboratories is a basic manufacturer and formulator of adjuvant technologies that offer a range of products to agriculture, turf, seed and growing media distributors, irrigation input providers and retailers nationwide. Our customer intimate philosophy allows us to bring new technology to meet both existing and future needs, which facilitates our customers’ growth as well as our own. Due to this, Precision Laboratories is nearing completion of a new 270,000 square foot facility with expanded production, packaging, shipping, research and training capabilities in Kenosha, WI. Our doors to this exciting new facility will open in June 2023.
Recent introduction of new dicamba and 2,4-D formulations has increased awareness of off target movement, and resulted in the required use of approved drift reduction agents and nozzles types that produce very large droplets. While large droplets work for certain chemistries like glyphosate and dicamba, obtaining adequate coverage is important for efficacy of 2,4-D, and many other crop protection products. Adequate coverage of target surfaces is obtained with droplets that range in size of 250 to 500 microns.
Droplets in this range are often characterized as “workhorse” droplets that contribute to spray quality, improved deposition, and ultimately maximum performance. Understanding how adjuvants, nozzles and pesticide formulation type work together to impact spray quality, and ultimately coverage is an objective of the CPDA Application Enhancement Certification Program. Precision Labs, along with other CPDA members, has been instrumental in developing this program to give growers and applicators better insight into spray quality and how to maximize the performance of spray applications by better matching nozzle types with crop protection formulations and adjuvants. More information on CPDA’s Application Enhancement Certification Program and the Adjuvant Certification Program and they can be found here.
Nonionic surfactants and Crop Oil Concentrates are not the only source of APEs and NPEs.
Take Caution With Fungicides
Fungicide use to promote plant health and protect yield potential during vegetative stages of crop growth has expanded dramatically in recent years. Although tank mix adjuvants can increase fungicide performance, certain ingredients have also been shown to cause arrested ear syndrome in corn. The identification of alkylphenol ethoxylates by Schmitz et al. (Agronomy J., 103:1697-1703 (2011)), a common ingredient in many tank mix adjuvants, as the causal agent of arrested ear syndrome has resulted in the development of more crop safe tank mix adjuvant formulations that are alkylphenol ethoxylate (APE) or nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE) free. Nonionic surfactants and Crop Oil Concentrates are not the only source of APEs and NPEs. In fact, high surfactant oils and pesticide formulations may also rely on APEs and NPEs to reduce surface tension and improve coverage, and inadvertently cause crop injury or arrested ear syndrome.
APEs and NPEs are also commonly used in soaps and detergents across a wide range of industries due to their relatively low cost and high level of efficacy. However, APEs and NPEs bioaccumulate in the environment, and have been restricted in the EU since 2005 due to environmental and human health concerns. The US EPA also established a voluntary reduction plan in 2006 that promotes industry shift away from these ingredients over time.
Sustainability is more than just using renewable raw materials and improving crop safety.
Sustainable, Safe Alternatives
Fortunately, more sustainably sourced, and safer alternatives to APEs and NPEs are available today. Precision Labs has developed a full line of APE/NPE free nonionic surfactants and high surfactant oils with a proprietary deposition aid that produces more ‘work horse’ droplets, and results in more product reaching the intended target. Given the costs and regulatory hurdles of new pesticide development, it is now more important than ever to steward our existing pesticide tools by maximizing efficacy through the use of tank mix adjuvants that deliver more product to the target and help mitigate the economic and environmental impact of resistance to pesticides.
Sustainability is more than just using renewable raw materials and improving crop safety. At Precision Labs, we have focused heavily on high load surfactants and newer, high surfactant oils with deposition aids instead of traditional MSOs and COCs as a way to reduce ours, and ultimately our customers’ carbon footprints. These new lower use rate products are more compatible with a wider range of tank mix partners, and can reduce handling, packaging, storage and shipping of these raw materials to end users.
According to the CPDA, only 25% of farmers currently use adjuvant products in their operation, despite overwhelming evidence that high quality adjuvants can improve pesticide performance. New innovation in crop safe and sustainable adjuvant technology that gets more pesticide product to the target is driving the next generation of crop performance products. Please visit our website or follow us on social media to learn more about Precision Labs products. We’d be delighted to talk more about how our high-quality adjuvants can help prepare you to meet future market needs.
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