The introduction of chemical pesticides in the crop production process enhanced the production value of the agricultural industry. Before the commercial use of pesticides on a large scale, most of the crops used to get destroyed due to various pest infestations, and the agricultural industry had to face huge losses every year.
Pesticides and agricultural adjuvants were used to curb the losses and fulfill the rapidly increasing demand for food, and they have proven to be prominent solutions for pest related problems even today.
Agricultural adjuvants are active substances that can be added to any pesticide spray solution, separate from the active ingredient formulation, which improves the effectiveness of the solution. The main function of agricultural spray adjuvants is to support the performance of active ingredients in the pesticides.
Adjuvant farming practices are highly effective and useful. Adjuvants are used as activator modifiers, utility modifiers, compatibility agents, buffers, acidifiers, antifoam agents, drift control agents, thickening agents, spreaders, and stickers.
These functions improve the performance and physical properties of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, fertilizers, and plant growth regulators (PGR) on crop plants.
Choosing the right adjuvant pesticide ratio of amount and time is not a simple process. Due to their complicated chemical composition and mixing strategy, farmers lack knowledge about the proper application of adjuvants when pesticides are considered. However, the application of adjuvants in pesticides can make or break the performance of an active ingredient.
As the demand for food, nutrition, and effective crop production methods is increasing, the use of chemical inputs and adjuvants is also expected to increase.
According to an analysis by BIS Research, the agricultural adjuvants market is expected to grow from $3.3billion in the year 2021 to $4.78billion by the year 2027 at a CAGR of 6.43%.
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Developments in the Government Policies to Regulate the Agricultural Adjuvants Industry
The government and regulatory bodies play a substantial part in the regulation and functioning of an industry to ensure its growth. Similarly, the agricultural adjuvants industry requires government regulations that are focused on the improvement of the whole industry, along with the upliftment of small-scale and medium-scale farmers.
Adjuvants resolve concerns regarding wastage of various agrochemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides and improve the operating efficiency of the large-scale farms, increase food security, and reduce the use of water with pesticides.
However, due to a lack of awareness and misconceptions regarding the production of adjuvants, several governmental authorities have put a hold on or banned certain kinds of bio-based ingredients used for making these pesticides.
For instance, the active ingredient obtained from neem oil, azadirachtin, is banned in the U.K. because the authorities are still reviewing its implications on the crops and its scope in the market.
In the U.K., there are strict regulations on the storage and usage of plant protection products (PPPs) and agricultural adjuvants.
Under new rules of the U.K. government, farmers and businesses using PPPs and adjuvants must register under The Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulations, 2020, by 22 June 2022.
Farmers who use professional PPPs and adjuvants have been given a deadline to register their details on a new government database. If the PPPs are stored at two addresses and the records are kept at a separate office, then all the three addresses must be registered.
Agricultural adjuvants play a significant role in preparing and enhancing the chemical compositions of pesticides. However, owing to the potential dangers of agricultural adjuvants to the ecology and human health, several nations across the world have become increasingly vigilant about the administration and regulation of adjuvant constituents in agricultural spray adjuvants.
Moves of the Private Business Owners in the Agricultural Adjuvant Industry
To produce a substantial amount of food for the global population, it is essential to control the damages and infections in crops through adjuvant farming. Chemicals for crop protection are now non-negotiable to curb the damages and diseases that contaminate or harm the crops, decreasing the amount and quality of the produced grains. Hence, in the last few years, many agriculture-based businesses have come forward with superior quality agricultural spray adjuvants.
For instance, a California-based agriculture company, Farmers Business Network (FBN), has launched a new line of adjuvants and crop nutrition products under its new franchise brand, Farmers First, in January 2022. FBN has come forward with a combination of new products that optimize fertilizer efficiency as well as crop protection. Products sourced from the manufacturers in the U.S. and distributed through the FBN online store provide a good opportunity to the farmers seeking maximized crop input investment in 2022 and in the future.
The products under Farmers First branded crop nutrition include the following:
• Inhabit Boost- A proprietary micronized carbon source with soil and foliar application to improve fertilizer efficiency, soil quality, and nutrient transport
• Catalyst ADV- A soil prebiotic solution containing over 400 active biomolecules that improves the native soil microbiome to provide nutrients to the plant
• Inject-N ADV- A soil probiotic (Azospirillum Brasiliense) that fixes atmospheric nitrogen in a variety of crops by converting NH2 into NH4
• Inhabit P- Liquid phosphorus mixed with micronized carbon improves availability and reduces tie-up for more efficient delivery at low-use rates.
Conclusion
The introduction of agricultural adjuvants into farming has enabled farmers to utilize this opportunity to maximize their crop yields.
With the advancing technology and aspects of developing environment friendly adjuvants, i.e., green adjuvants, the governments across the world are allowing a wider use of adjuvants in pesticides.
