32 ADJUVANTS – Oils, surfactants and other additives for farm chemicals

5.  ADJUVANTS FOR FUNGICIDES

THE activity of contact protectant fungicides is influenced by
coverage of the active ingredient on the leaf and stem surface,
as these provide a barrier to the establishment of the fungal
pathogen on the host plant. Adjuvants that provide wetting,
spreading and adhesion play an important role, together with the
application method and environmental factors, in affecting the
development of fungal infections.
The activity of systemic foliar fungicides can be improved by
the correct choice of adjuvants. Several studies have shown
that improvements result from changes to factors such as
droplet formation, surface contact and behaviour of spray
deposit, penetration into the leaf, transport within the plant and
interaction within the fungal cell itself.
But the performance of adjuvants under controlled conditions
is often not consistent with the performance in field conditions
due to a complex of fungicide/crop/pathogen/adjuvant factors
that vary from situation to situation. In addition, there remain
unresolved problems associated with the use of adjuvants such
as the loss of selectivity and the occurrence of phytotoxic side-
effects on the crop.
For these reasons, the careful selection of adjuvants and
adherence to label directions is very important under field
conditions.
Group 1 fungicides (benzimidazoles)
Group 1 fungicides (benzimidazoles) are systemic fungicides
with curative and protectant action.
Group 2 fungicides (dicarboximides)
Iprodione [Rovral®] and procymidone [Sumisclex®, Fortress®]
are fungicides that provide both protective and curative control
for a range of fungal pathogens in various crops.
Rovral® is contact in action while Sumisclex® and Fortress®
are systemic. Sumisclex® and Fortress® can be applied as a
foliar spray, seed treatment, in-furrow application, soil spray or
transplant dip.
Use of adjuvants with dicarboximides (Table 5b)
Rovral® is unstable in solutions of alkaline pH and adjustment
of pH to below 7 may be required with a suitable buffering or
acidifying agent. Similarly, Fortress® should not be mixed with
alkaline water. A non-ionic surfactant may be required in addition
to Fortress® and Sumisclex® in certain applications (Table 5b).
Table 5b: Adjuvants recommended for use with dicarboximide
fungicides
Product Use of adjuvants
Iprodione Use buffering agent to reduce pH to below 7 if
e.g. Rovral® using alkaline water. The use of a surfactant or
spray oil is not recommended as it may result in
crop damage to sensitive plants.
Procymidone Use wetting agent Shirwet® 600 or Agral® at
e.g. Sumisclex®, Fortress® 0.01–0.02% v/v
% v/v = Per cent of adjuvant, in terms of volume (e.g. ml/L), in the final spray mix.

Use of adjuvants with benzimidazoles (Table 5a)

Addition of non-ionic surfactants is recommended in certain
situations to improve spray coverage on target surfaces for
carbendazim [Bavistin®, Spin Flo®] and thiabendazole [Tecto].

Table 5a: Adjuvants recommended for use with benzimidazole

fungicides
Product Use of adjuvants
Carbendazim Carbendazim is currently under review by the
e.g. Bavistin®, Spin Flo® APVMA so check label before use.
Thiabendazole Add wetting agent except for applications to
e.g. Tecto Flowable potatoes and mushrooms