In addition, merely measuring the pH of a spray solution may not give an indication of the quantity of buffering agent needed. However, sulfuric acid is a much stronger acid than acetic acid, and much more buffering agent would be needed to change the pH of a sulfuric acid solution than an acetic acid solution. Compatibility agents are adjuvants that allow easier mixing of two or more components in a solution. Using compatibility agents may allow the use of two or more chemicals in a tank that would otherwise be incompatible. Crop oils normally contain 95 to 98 percent petroleum oil with 1 to 2 percent added surfactant.
Crop oils can be effective as penetrants and as surfactants.
Crop oil concentrate. Crop oil concentrates normally contain between 80 and 85 percent petroleum oil with 15 to 20 percent surfactant. These products can be effective as penetrants and as surfactants. Defoamers are adjuvants that reduce foaming when there is excessive foam in a spray tank. Excessive foaming can be a significant problem with some agitation systems in sprayers, especially when the water level in a tank gets low enough that a mechanical agitation system would cause excessive foam.