Tradecorp's ADJUSTAR adjuvants range to revolutionize the adjuvant market

By Javier Bernabéu, Marketing Director at Tradecorp - International Division

What is an adjuvant? How do they work?

• Adjuvant is a product that optimizes the efficacy of another, mainly; herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, and ultimately reduces limiting factors during spraying of Crop Protection (CP) products.
• Limiting factors for a successful application of CP products:

-    Climate/weather
-    Water quality
-    Specific CP management
-    Droplets
-    Sprayers
-    Etc.
Adjuvants offer solutions for farmers in three beneficial areas:
1.    Technical benefits:
a.    Limiting factors for successful treatment
b.    Modern spraying:
i.    Increasing application speed
ii.    Reducing water volume
2.    Economic benefits:
a.    Better CP treatment balance cost/ha vs effectiveness
b.    Better CP application management
c.    Sufficient product effectiveness >> a.i (active ingredient) full protection = 100% biotic action

3.    Environmental benefits:
a.    Better applications focused on pest/diseases targets
b.    Less CP product waste:
i.    Reduced drifting
ii.    Reduced evaporation effect
iii.    Reduced soil loss

Benefits derived from using adjuvant products are applicable in the treatment tank, during spraying, as well as directly on weeds, pests or target diseases.

In the treatment tank, these substances mainly act on two factors. These directly influence protection of the active ingredient (a.i) from chemical, fungicide, insecticide or herbicide products, such as the pH control of the treatment broth and water hardness.

The pH is intimately linked to the preservation and the phytosanitary degree of effectiveness dealing with the phytosanitary product’s active ingredients. This decreases drastically if we move away from the optimum range (5.5 - 6.5 pH). In this way, the adjuvants produce an acidifying effect, which ensures an optimum pH, guaranteeing maximum phytosanitary expression of the products.

On the other hand, they act and modify the complexation process, which immediately shows cations in hard waters (Ca ++, Mg ++, Fe +++, Si ++++, etc.), produced by hard waters, blocking anions (more of phytosanitary products have negative charge)  that interfere in the dissolution of chemical assets during treatment broths. Ultimately, allowing to free assets in order for it to carry out its action on the target pest and, or, disease.

During the spraying process, they give the treatment broth physicochemical characteristics. This calls for a more precise and controlled spraying. The main features are described below:
-    Spreading, reduces the surface tension of droplets (As shown in figure 2)
- Penetrating, facilitates passage of active ingredient from phytosanitary product into plant tissue
-  Retaining, prevents runoff and losses of a.i into the soil
-  Sticking, sticks contact products to the leaves
-  Moistening, captures humidity from the air and extends droplet lifespan
-  Diffusing, facilitates plant translocation
-  Drift control, improves the performance and precision of spray applications
-  Anti-leaching, protects from rainfall

Finally, the adjuvants bear their effect directly on the targeted weed, pest or disease, enhancing phytosanitary action. Next, we highlight the effects which are the most important features:
-   Offers retention in irregular / non uniform plant shape
-    Improves spreading on foliar surface
-    Adds penetration properties on foliar cuticle/thickness
-   Works to facilitate spreading, wettability and retention on hydrophobic leaves/plants (As shown in figure 3)

-   Persistence which improves efficacy along with its target coverage over a long period of time. This limits the adverse factors (long flight distances, humidity, cuticle waxes, etc.).
-    Reduces the risk of off-target drift

Tradecorp International is developing a wide range of agricultural adjuvants, with the objective of creating a relationship with the farmer while providing effective solutions that help improve product competitiveness. This is all within an agricultural market that is increasingly demanding. This range will be on the market under the name ADJUSTAR. Strengthening and simultaneously completing Tradecorp International’s agricultural solutions portfolio. Showcasing a clear commitment to continue being the benchmark of the fertilizer market and that of biostimulant specialties.

ADJUSTAR RANGE, will revolutionize the adjuvant market. Some features include:

-   Super spreading and leader adjuvant on market for pre-emergence herbicides
   • high capacity of soil penetration
   • ensures horizontal and vertical herbicide distribution on the ground, improving coverage with less water volume -   Triple use adjuvant, combining:
   • spreading
   • retaining
  • penetrating
High performance on hydrophobic leaves and safer for crops than classic oils

-    The first multifunctional organically-sourced vegetable product
  • Made from sunflower (oil properties) and sugar beet (adjuvant properties) - The dual-action adjuvant, water corrector + adjuvant  • Helps to solubilize pesticides in mix tank
  • Safeguards compatibility and stability
  • Increase half-life by lowering pH

-    Stick adjuvant containing pine terpene
    • Ultra-concentrated stick adjuvant
    • Low dose rate of 0.05% (2.8-4 times lower dose/ha compared to competitors)