Adjuvants Adjuvants are added ingredients that increase the effectiveness of the active ingredient and make application easier. Surfactants are most commonly used to apply pesticides on plants that have waxy or hairy leaves. Stickers improve the weatherability of a spray deposit, particularly from washing by rainfall or irrigation. Synergists increase the activity of insecticides by blocking the ability of the insect to break down the insecticide. Penetrants increase uptake of herbicides into a plant.
Buffers decrease breakdown of pesticides in alkaline water.
Mixtures of Pesticides Pesticides can be mixed with other pesticides or with fertilizers if the resulting mixture does not reduce safety or effectiveness. Incompatible mixtures can increase the toxicity or hazard of the pesticides to the applicator, the crop, or the environment for physical or chemical reasons. Undesirable physical changes may cause materials to precipitate as a solids, formation of separate layers, or other visible effects. Undesirable chemical changes may result in new compounds that increase environmental hazards, reduce the amounts of active ingredients, or cause plant injury. Since pesticides are poisons designed to destroy pest species, there are many hazards associated with their use.