Growers understand how important it is to make sure their crops are protected from pests and weeds, which is why adjuvants are commonly used to facilitate movement of protection products to the plant and within the plant.
Using adjuvants to boost the efficacy of a herbicide or pesticide is nothing new – but as environmental regulations become more stringent, ensuring that products stick to the surfaces where they’re applied is extremely important.
As more information is uncovered about the negative effects caused by herbicides and pesticides going off-target, growers are more focused than ever on implementing sustainable practices.
Crop protection products designed for specific crops or conditions that drift off-target could negatively impact another species, maybe even crops on a neighboring farm. While agriculture is a competitive industry, no grower wants to harm another grower’s crops.
Though off-target application is likely unintentional, sensitive crops like grapes or vegetables or even commodity crops like corn, soybeans and wheat are subject to destruction from off-target application.
Using a quality adjuvant product that matches appropriately with the herbicide or pesticide with which it is applied can control the off-target drift, and ensure that the correct crops are receiving the intended benefits.
As with all crop inputs, the best way to be a good steward is to understand the product you’re applying. Ensuring that the adjuvant you’re using is effective requires reading the labels of the adjuvant as well as the pesticide.
With so many types of adjuvants available, it’s absolutely crucial to make sure your adjuvant matches your selected crop protection product. Because adjuvants are not typically as regulated as herbicides or pesticides, working with your retailer to make sure you’re purchasing adjuvants from a reputable source is the best way to make sure you have the best strategy for application.
Petrichor, a product of CHS Agronomy, is an NPE-free oil emulsion deposition and drift management agent specifically designed to suppress off-target drift of spray applications. To learn more about Petrichor and other drift reducing agents, visit CHSAgronomy.com