Due to economic and convenience -reasons, the preparation of multi component spray mixes has become a standard procedure for most agricultural pesticide applications. In many cases, these spray mixes contain fertilizer and/or micronutrients as one or more of the components. This oftentimes results in spray mix incompatibility problems which can have a negative effect on pesticide efficacy. These incompatibilities are due to both chemical and physical factors.

Chemical based incompatibilities are the most serious consequence of spray mix incompatibility. They occur when one or more of the components chemically react with one another. The result of this reaction can be neutralization of the pesticide active ingredients. These problems are not common, however, and are usually preventable. The most common form of spray mix incompatibility are problems that arise from physical changes in the spray mix. These changes include viscosity, dispersion, and uniformity. In the past these problems have been difficult to anticipate and/or control. The subject of this presentation is a new surfactant based fertilizer amendment (FA-1) from Helena which has the potential to resolve many of these problems.

Unlike past attempts to use surfactants to correct spray mix incompatibilities, the FA-1 program utilizes a preventative approach by incorporating the adjuvant directly into fertilizer. Both research and field experience is indicating that this approach is successful for a wide range of fertilizer/pesticide spray mixes.