From the introduction of 2,4-D, the first modern herbicide in the early 1940s, to the development of biotech traits in the 1990s, to the latest technology launches, agriculture has created powerful solutions to control weeds, insects and disease. However, the effectiveness of these tools still depends on several environmental and physical factors working with these chemistries. Adjuvants have been an effective tool to optimize these tools and we have been formulating adjuvants with growers and retailers in mind. It’s important to help growers make the most of their crop protection investments with high performance, quality adjuvant formulations that deliver solid economic returns and environmental stewardship attributes.
We’ve been a leading developer of adjuvant solutions that better meet application and tank-mix needs. We have developed and offer a full range of adjuvants, from superior drift control to droplet size, deeper canopy penetration to compatibility agents— all for remarkable results they'll see in across your fields.
CHS takes pride in sourcing the best ingredients to set our adjuvants apart and create more value for customers. We don’t let adjuvants be an afterthought, we use a needs-based approach to identify future adjuvant formulations and put them through rigorous testing processes. When it comes to choosing adjuvants, it’s important to know what is in them and how they perform. The need for improved uptake, translocation, and efficacy of herbicides are just a few reasons why CHS adjuvants use the purest ingredients and give retailers confidence and growers solutions that can optimize their crop protection performance all year long. The high-quality ingredients used in CHS adjuvants is one thing that sets this lineup apart from the rest. Here are 3 ingredients that show how we develop adjuvants differently.
Tallow Amine: Increase leaf penetration and absorption
Tallow amine is a non-ionic surfactant derived from tallow used primarily as an emulsifier and wetting agent adjuvant solution. This ingredient sets the bar in reducing surface tension of the water improving emulsifying, spreading, and wetting properties. It works by combining negatively charged glyphosate to increase plant uptake and translocation. Tallow amine is also a standard in improving glufosinate performance.
Tallow amine is used in the Tapran® formulation, which is a multi-functional, high-efficacy adjuvant that helps activate herbicides for better performance against tough-to-control weeds, including later season weeds. This premium ingredient gives Tapran the ability to help herbicides spread over the leaf for better absorption versus traditional high surfactant methylated seed oil formulations.
Last Chance® Pro uses tallow amine in its formulation to help herbicides spread over leaf surface for increased plant uptake and translocation of herbicide into the weed. This adjuvant also uses a glucamide surfactant blend to improve coverage, retention, and absorption, while maintaining AMS in solution longer than most standard adjuvant programs.
Glucamide: Keep ammonium sulfate in solution longer
Glucamide is a surfactant used to improve coverage, retention and absorption of the product applied. This nonionic surfactant that has humectant properties can combine to not only improve pesticide coverage and uptake but also maintain ammonium sulfate in a soluble form minimizing salt crystallization on the leaf surface and allowing for maximum ammonium sulfate uptake into the plant. It helps to mildly reduce surface tension to prevent over-wetting and increases cuticle penetration for better plant entry.
This picture shows the improved coverage of a spray droplet with the use of a surfactant (bottom image) versus a spray droplet without the use of a surfactant (top image). Not only does this surfactant ingredient improve coverage, but also improves retention and absorption of the product applied as well.
Encloax™ is a convenient premix of proprietary NPE-free surfactant (glucamide), humectant and ammonia sulfate-based water conditioning agent that improves the ability of spray droplets to enter the plant and maximize pesticide performance. The glucamide surfactant has humectant properties, that combine to not only improve pesticide coverage and uptake, but also maintain ammonium sulfate in a soluble form.
Last Chance® Pro uses glucamide in its formulation to improve coverage, retention and absorption to the plant while helping to keep AMS in solution longer than most standard adjuvants. This adjuvant meets the surfactant level requirements of most labels that require or recommend the use of a nonionic surfactant.
Highly refined soybean oil: Industry leading performance and handling
Using highly refined soybean oil has led to quality adjuvants that were night-and-day different from other adjuvants, from handling, mixability and storage stability, to how well the formula did what it was supposed to do: enhance the biological function of a crop protection product or alter the physical characteristics of a spray solution for maximum performance. For special purpose/utility adjuvants, like drift control agents and deposition aids, refined soybean oil helps prevent the unintentional off-target application of crop protection products and increases the ability of water-soluble pesticide particles to adhere to a plant’s surface and go to work. For activator adjuvants, like crop oil concentrates, using refined soybean oil helps improve the penetration of crop protection products into the target pest. Herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are only effective if their active ingredients are able to penetrate into the target pest.
This picture depicts two emulsified soybean oils exposed to heat stress for 24 hours. Highly refined soybean oil has less impurities than the industry standard crude soybean oil. This offers better viscosity, cold weather stability, mixability and better chemistry performance.
Petrichor® is an industry leading NPE-free drift and deposition agent that is specifically designed to suppress off-target drift and increase contact activity and penetration of spray applications. The use of highly refined soybean oil is what sets Petrichor apart, by significantly improving the performance and handling properties compared to traditional crude oil emulsion formulations.
Tapran® is a multi-functional, high -efficacy adjuvant that helps activate herbicides for better performance against tough-to-control weeds, including later season weeds. This formulation is also equipped with highly refined soybean oil instead to improve the performance and handling characteristics compared to other high surfactant methylated seed oil formulations.
The CHS adjuvant lineup is packed with high quality, high-performance formulas to optimize crop protection performance. To learn more about the CHS adjuvant lineup, their ingredients, and their functions, download our adjuvant whitepaper, ‘Using Adjuvants to Improve Crop Protection Performance’. Take a look at the full line of CHS adjuvants or talk to your CHS agronomy representative about what adjuvant solutions will work best for your operation.
