Tightening regulations and quotas on the use of herbicides and pesticides in Europe are prompting crop growers to seek out adjuvant solutions to increase the performance of pesticides sprayed onto food crops. Surfactants added to pesticides, either in base formulations or as they are prepared for spraying, can extend the active elements and help them target specific areas. Increased efficacy allows for less spraying, reducing farmers’ costs and their impact on the environment.

This past May, in a drive to deliver higher levels of value to the agriculture market, AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry acquired International Agro Additives Specialties (IAAS), BV of Naarden, the Netherlands. IAAS had specialized in the development and sale of adjuvant technology for herbicides and pesticides in ‘tank-mix’ applications, and had been a distributor of AkzoNobel products.

According to Benoit Fraeys, Global Director of Functional Applications, AkzoNobel adjuvant technology makes pesticides more effective, with lower impact on the environment. “In acquiring IAAS, we can help farmers use active ingredients with better effect, with the goal of reducing the overall number of spray applications in a given year and minimizing the odds that they will come up against the quota before the end of the growing season,” he said.