Plant protection products are substances that facilitate the proper development of plants, as well as protect them from parasites, diseases, weeds and fungi. Substances of this type are divided into herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, adjuvants and foliar fertilizers. We will briefly describe each group of the plant protection products.
Plant protection products – herbicides
Herbicides are otherwise known as weed killers. They can be divided into post-emergence herbicides, pre-emergence herbicides used between sowing and crop emergence, and pre-sowing herbicides. Herbicides are worth using both in spring and autumn, especially for winter crops. However, plants cannot be treated with herbicides at every developmental stage. Keep in mind that these types of agents can cause herbicide burn, which results in further dieback, deformation, discoloration and other morphological changes in plants. Herbicides should be applied during the daytime, in the dry season
Plant protection products – fungicides
Fungicides are pesticides used to kill or prevent the growth of fungi and their spores. They can be used not only to control fungal disease, but also preventively. Fungicide preparations give the plant a strong stimulus to improve immune processes, stop the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, and reduce the supply of oxygen to fungi. Fungicides can be divided into formulations that penetrate the interior of plants and contact fungicides that remain on the surface of plants after application. There are fungicides in the form of suspensions, emulsions or in aqueous solutions. Fungicides are applied in a similar way to herbicides.
Plant protection products – insecticides
Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. They can be divided into systemic, respiratory and contact preparations. The division is related to the penetration of the formulation into the insect’s body. The first group is composed of carbamates and organophosphates, which become toxic only after entering the insect’s body. Contact and respiratory insecticides paralyse the insect’s nervous system. The main active substances are peritroids.
Plant protection products – adjuvants
Adjuvants are agents that improve the performance of the crop protection products as described above. They increase the penetration and effectiveness of the formula. In addition, adjuvants reduce the use of plant protection products by about one third, and on average reduce the protection costs by about 20%. Adjuvants can be broken down into three main categories: surfactants, mineral oils, vegetable oils and derivatives, as well as mineral adjuvants. The first category has a surface effect; it causes better adhesion of droplets to the plant surface. The second group is responsible for better dissolution of herbicides. The third category of adjuvants eliminates the effect of mineral salts that are precipitated from hard water.
