View source for Pesticide formulation

{{Short description|Constituents of pesticides}}
The [[biological activity]] of a '''pesticide''', be it chemical or biological in nature, is determined by its [[active ingredient]] (AI - also called the ''active substance''). [[Pesticide]] products very rarely consist of the pure [[active ingredient]]. The AI is usually formulated with other materials (adjuvents and co-formulants) and this is the product as sold, but it may be further diluted in use. Formulations improve the properties of a chemical for handling, storage, application and may substantially influence effectiveness and safety.<ref>Knowles, DA (1998) ''Chemistry and technology of agricultural formulations''. Kluwer Academic, London</ref>
Formulation terminology follows a 2-letter convention: (''e.g.'' GR: granules) listed by [[CropLife International]] (formerly GIFAP then GCPF) in the ''Catalogue of Pesticide Formulation Types'' (Monograph 2); see: [https://web.archive.org/web/20130621162748/http://www.croplife.org/view_document.aspx?docId=1281  download page]. Some manufacturers do not follow these industry standards, which can cause confusion for users.
==Water-miscible formulations==
[[File:Pesticide formulations.jpg|thumb|400px]]
By far the most frequently used products are formulations for mixing with water then applying as sprays.
Water miscible, older formulations include:
* EC	Emulsifiable concentrate
* WP	[[Wettable powder]]
* SL	Soluble (liquid) concentrate
* SP	Soluble powder
Newer, non-powdery formulations with reduced or no use of hazardous solvents and improved stability include:
* SC	Suspension concentrate
* CS	Capsule suspensions
* WG	Water dispersible granules
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==Other formulations==
Other common formulations include granules (GR) and dusts (DP), although for improved safety the latter have been replaced by microgranules (MG ''e.g''. for [[rice]] farmers in [[Japan]]).  Specialist formulations are available for [[ultra-low volume]] spraying, fogging, fumigation, ''etc''. Very occasionally, some pesticides (''e.g''. [[malathion]]) may be sold as technical material (TC - which is mostly AI, but also contains small quantities of, usually non-active, by-products of the manufacturing process; TGAC - "technical grade active constituent" means the same.).
A particularly efficient form of pesticide dose transfer is [[seed treatment]] and specific formulations have been developed for this purpose.  A number of pesticide [[bait (luring substance)|bait]] formulations are available for [[rodent]] pest control, ''etc''.
In reality many formulation codes are used: AB, AE, AL, AP, BB, BR, CB, CF, CG, CL, CP, CS, DC, DL, DP, DS, DT, EC, ED, EG, EO, ES, EW, FD, FG, FK, FP, FR, FS, FT, FU, FW, GA, GB, GE, GF, GG, GL, GP, GR, GS, GW, HN, KK, KL, KN, KP, LA, LS, LV, MC, ME, MG, MV, OD, OF, OL, OP, PA, PB, PC, PO, PR, PS, RB, SA, SB, SC, SD, SE, SG, SL, SO, SP, SS, ST, SU, TB, TC, TK, TP, UL, VP, WG, WP, WS, WT, XX, ZC, ZE and ZW.<ref>[http://www.dropdata.org/IPARC_guide/Formulation_codes.pdf Formulation Codes] from dropdata.org, run by iparc.org.uk, The International Pesticide Application Research Consortium (IPARC), Department of Biology, Imperial College, London</ref>
== See also ==
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* [[Formulations]]
* [[Pharmaceutical formulation]]
* [[Galenic formulation]]
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==References==
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{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* Burges, H.D. (ed.) (1998) ''Formulation of Microbial Biopesticides, beneficial microorganisms, nematodes and seed treatments''. Kluwer Academic Press, 412 pp.
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[[Category:Pesticides]]