Learn how agricultural adjuvants increase spray efficiency in precision agriculture, ensuring safer and more productive applications.

Adjuvants are strategic allies to prevent up to 50% of spray losses

Maximizing agricultural production efficiently and sustainably is a daily challenge in Brazilian agribusiness. According to Embrapa, around 30% to 50% of agricultural pesticides applied may be lost during the spraying process due to drift, evaporation, runoff, or poor leaf coverage. These losses represent financial costs, management failures, and environmental risks.

In this scenario, agricultural adjuvants stand out as essential tools to improve application performance, promote the rational use of inputs, and strengthen precision agriculture practices—one of the most consolidated trends in modern farming.

What are agricultural adjuvants and what is their function?

Adjuvants are substances added to the spray mixture to enhance the action of agrochemicals—herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and fertilizers. Derived from the Latin adjuvare (to help),the name reveals their purpose: making each application more efficient.

These products optimize the physical and chemical properties of the spray solution, ensuring better spreading, adhesion, and absorption of the active ingredients by plants. They also reduce losses from evaporation or drift, stabilize the spray mix, and help adjust pH when necessary.

A study from Embrapa Cerrados indicates that proper adjuvant use can increase spray effectiveness by up to 30%, resulting in greater productivity and reduced environmental impact.

Adjuvants in precision agriculture: why are they indispensable?

Precision agriculture aims to apply the right input, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place. Within this concept, adjuvants play a strategic role by ensuring:

• Reduced drift and runoff

• Increased leaf adhesion and penetration

• Better droplet uniformity and enhanced leaf coverage

• Spray mix stability, with proper pH and controlled foam formation

• Optimized nutrient and pesticide absorption

Types of agricultural adjuvants and their functions

Adjuvant Type / Main Function / When to Use:

• Surfactants: Reduce surface tension, improving droplet spreading.
  Ideal for waxy or thick-leafed crops.

• Spreaders–stickers: Improve adhesion and prevent runoff.
  Useful when product retention is essential.

• Defoamers: Reduce foam formation in the spray mix.
  Recommended for mixes with intense agitation or large volumes.

• pH Regulators: Maintain spray stability and increase agrochemical performance.
  Important for products requiring specific pH to work properly.

Spray losses: the cost of not using adjuvants

Under wind speeds above 10 km/h, Embrapa studies indicate that up to 30% of the sprayed solution can be lost due to drift. In aerial applications, this number can be even higher, reaching up to 50%.

These losses represent not only financial damage but also environmental risk, including contamination of nearby areas, ineffective pest and disease control, and reduced nutritional efficiency.

The challenge of Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) spraying and the importance of adjuvants

The increasing use of Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) spraying, which applies reduced spray volumes, requires even greater attention to adjuvant selection. In these situations, products that promote droplet spreading and uniformity are essential—especially when the pesticide acts by contact.

Additionally, drift-reducing adjuvants ensure droplets reach the target, preventing losses and increasing application efficiency.

“Choosing the right adjuvant is decisive for spray success”

Agronomist Isamara Goulart Santana, technical developer at Multitécnica, highlights:

“A very important point when choosing an adjuvant is the spray volume the farmer is working with. For Ultra-Low Volume applications, spreading becomes a strong ally to achieve good droplet coverage on the leaves. This uniformity is essential in any spray operation, but especially when using contact-action pesticides.”

She also reinforces the impact of drift on application outcomes:

“Drift-reducing products aim to standardize the average droplet diameter so that we achieve a greater number of droplets being deposited on the leaf surface.
Very fine droplets evaporate or are carried by the wind, while very large droplets may run off, reducing spray efficiency.”

Good spraying is more than applying—it is knowing how to apply

Spray efficiency goes far beyond choosing the right agrochemicals. It involves correct equipment adjustment, stable spray mix formation, understanding environmental conditions, and making intelligent decisions about the right adjuvants for each situation.

Adopting these best practices means respecting the investment made in each crop and contributing to more productive, economical, and sustainable agriculture.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What are agricultural adjuvants?

Adjuvants are products that improve agrochemical performance by enhancing adhesion, spreading, penetration, and spray mix stability.

Why use adjuvants in precision agriculture?

They increase application efficiency, reduce drift and runoff losses, and help ensure inputs reach their full potential.

What are the main types of adjuvants?

Surfactants, spreaders-stickers, defoamers, and pH regulators—each designed for specific application needs.

Do adjuvants help reduce costs in farming?

Yes. By improving spray effectiveness, adjuvants prevent product waste and reapplication, increasing overall profitability.

When is the use of drift reducers recommended?

Mainly in aerial spraying, Ultra-Low Volume applications, or windy conditions, ensuring droplets reach the target safely.