Surfactants in Agriculture

Abstract

Adjuvants such as surfactants improve pesticide efficiency by multiple mechanisms. In particular surfactants increase the foliar uptake of herbicides, growth regulators, and defoliants. Therefore, the choice of the adjuvant in an agrochemical formulation is crucial. Surfactants include anionic, nonionic, amphoteric and cationic surfactants. This review describes the role and properties of new adjuvants for agriculture. In particular adjuvants such as glyphosate formulations are modified to decrease ecotoxicity.