Agrochemicals - Chemistry for Agriculture
Agrochemicals in agriculture
Agrochemicals comprise all chemical compounds used in agriculture, including pesticides, adjuvants, growth regulators, mineral fertilizers, as well as feed additives in animal husbandry. Plant protection products contain various different ingredients. Active substances used to control detrimental organisms and unwanted plants are some of the most important.
Besides, these preparations can contain oils and organic solvents, as well as numerous functional additives with emulsifying, wetting, anti-freezing, anti-scaling, dispersing or anti-foaming properties. Adjuvants are a particularly important group of products used in plant cultivation. Their significance and popularity are constantly increasing due to the numerous benefits of their use. They cover all the substances of plant protection products or ingredients added directly to the tank of the sprayer. They are aimed at improving biological activity and the physicochemical properties of the spraying solution. An important role of adjuvants is to decrease the surface tension of the working solution, as this facilitates and improves the effectiveness of plant treatment and perfoliant fertilization. Increased adhesion of the preparation and enhanced spreading on the surface is necessary when plant leaves are covered with waxes. This is also of utmost importance due to the variety of shells which protect pest organisms, and prevent the spraying solution from penetrating into the organisms.
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Many important benefits are achieved by the use of agrochemicals. These are largely associated with increased yields of plant and animal crops, and less spoilage during storage. These benefits are substantial. In combination with genetically improved varieties of crop species, agrochemicals have made important contributions to the successes of the "green revolution." This has helped to increase the food supply for the rapidly increasing population of humans on Earth.
Types of Agrochemicals
There is a concerted effort to actively and conscientiously implement a broad range of agrochemicals to safely maintain and control the global food supply to ensure consistently high quality for widespread consumption. Types of agrochemicals include:
- Pesticides, or chemicals engineered to destroy insects and other organisms, weeds, and funguses that could spoil crop yields;
- Synthetic fertilizers, for example ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), which is designed to encourage crop growth by saturating soils with nutrients;
- Acidifiers and liming agents, engineered to alter the pH levels of soils to suit the planting properties of given crops;
- Soil conditioners, for example gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), which is designed to condition soils with high sodium (Na) contents to improve planting conditions;
- Growth hormones, or synthetic chemicals designed to increase growth rates in animals and crops.