The glyphosate squeeze: CPDA‐certified adjuvants can stretch existing supply

Numerous supply chain issues caused by things like Hurricane Ida and the energy crisis in China have had an impact on the global crop input supply, including glyphosate.

In conjunction with Purdue University, the experts at the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA) offer suggestions to mitigate the challenges these shortages impose on growers. The right adjuvant package maximizes glyphosate efficiency by using lower labeled rates, adjusting for optimum droplet sizes, spray timing, with the use of surfactants, water conditioners, and drift and deposition agents.

“CPDA certifies adjuvant products to verify label integrity,” according to Terry Kippley, CPDA president. The CPDA Certification Program assures the information on available products is current, accurate and vetted by experts. This can be found at CPDA.com, in addition to specific recommendations authored by Dr. Bryan G. Young, professor of weed science at Purdue University.

“At Nutrien Ag Solutions, we are confident in our ability to meet customer needs because of our business relationships with the world’s largest suppliers and the personal relationships between agronomists and their individual grower customers,” said David C. Elser, senior vice president, Retail North America at Nutrien Ag Solutions and CPDA member. “Our crop consultants have the ability to recommend a wide variety of products including adjuvant packages to help deliver solutions meeting very specific needs.”

Dr. Young adds, “The lower labeled use rate of glyphosate will kill most non-resistant annual weeds when applied with additional non-ionic surfactant, ammonium sulfate, drift and deposition agents and proper application. We need to actively manage 2022 glyphosate supplies to stretch covered acres.”