Knowledge is (also) power
The data behind adjuvants: the hidden ingredient in effective spray programmes.
Adjuvants play a critical role in ensuring spray solutions are effective, targeted, and safe–helping farmers protect their crops and bottom line.
Fear of failure can be a powerful motivator for farmers and growers. Reduced returns, the threat of tariffs and market uncertainty are keeping everyone on their toes. There’s no margin for error.
It comes as no surprise that farmers and growers expect to see scientific proof that a product is going to work for them. They want data and studies.
There are some great chemicals out there, and they tick a lot of the boxes in terms of efficacy and safety for the people using them. But that’s only three-quarters of the story.
Working hard behind the scenes are the adjuvants that help get the most out of spray programmes.
Pieter Van Der Westhuizen, regional sales manager upper north island for UPL NZ Ltd, says it’s all about proven deliverability.
“While adjuvants don’t have an active, they are shown to improve spray programme outcomes - sometimes significantly.”
Adjuvants work by modifying the physical characteristics of spray solutions. They range from buffering agents, to spreaders, penetrants, stickers through to products, which lower the pH of the spray, or reduce water hardness.
Pieter says it’s no secret that the cost of insecticides, fungicides and some herbicides are increasing. That makes it prudent to adopt and integrate an adjuvant (or adjuvants) to maximise spray programme efficacy.
His confidence in adjuvants doesn’t come out of nowhere. Elliott Chemicals Limited, now UPL NZ Ltd, began work on adjuvant development and marketing in this country more than two decades ago. Today, it has a portfolio of over twenty adjuvant products - each fulfilling a niche role with its own chemical partners, seasonal timings and uses.
Pieter says the UPL range has a research-based pedigree that not all products can boast.
“A lot of research and trials went into proving that UPL’s adjuvants can do the job. We always go back to research and sticking to the label rates. Extensive work has gone into that. These products are not just a ‘she’ll be right’ kind of thing. You need to ask the questions and check the research, just as you would with anything you’re trusting with your business and livelihood.”
He says Li-700, for example, used to reduce off-target drift is one of the most researched adjuvants in the world and is proven in global trials.
“Li-700 adds value by providing contractors with a bigger window of opportunity when spraying, limits downtime, makes application more effective and reduces the risk of the unintended consequences of spray to neighbouring crops.”
In terms of contractors, Pieter says adjuvants also have a major role to play in rig hygiene and in avoiding cross-contamination of chemicals and stop costly crop harm, reduced yield, or under-spraying due to clogged nozzles or lines.
He says even if separate rigs are used for particular chemicals only, having them thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis improves performance.
“It’s just part of getting them serviced.”
He recommends All-Clear® 2X, which he says will out-perform ordinary tank cleaners on the widest range of agricultural chemicals, even carfentrazone-ethyl, which is notoriously difficult to shift.
“All Clear 2X has a three-way action, decontaminating, cleaning and neutralising. It’s the best way to remove even the most ‘sticky’ chemistry.”
Talk to your local technical representative for more details on how to get the best from your spray programme by using data-based adjuvants or contact Pieter Van Der Westhuizen, UPL NZ Regional Sales Manager Upper North Island at 021 392 740.