The priority direction of work of the company "August", a major Russian manufacturer of plant protection products, is the creation of products in innovative formulations. Thanks to modern formulations, the potential of active substances is maximized, which, in turn, makes it possible to reduce their quantity and environmental impact. Thus, the preparative form of an oil dispersion makes it possible to obtain liquid forms of hydrolytically unstable substances, as well as to improve the penetration of active components through the wax layer of the sheet. In 2021, August released two new preparations in the form of an oil dispersion - a broad-spectrum insecticide "Stilet" and a herbicide for corn "Fultime".
An oil dispersion is one of the modern formulations of plant protection chemicals (CPP), which is a stable suspension of a substance or group of substances in an organic diluent. When applied, oil dispersions are mixed with water, which is technologically much simpler and safer than diluting a powdered product. Avgusta has developed its own technology for the production of oil dispersion so that Russian farmers can get the most out of a number of pesticide active ingredients.
“The main advantage of the oil dispersion is the ability to finally convert into a liquid form those active ingredients that were previously formulated only in solid formulations,” says Larisa Yelinevskaya, Head of the Development of Preparative Forms Department at JSC Firma August. - These are, for example, sulfonylureas - herbicides that are extremely necessary for farmers, mancozeb, cyprodinil, a number of biopesticides and many other substances. When applied, oil dispersions practically do not form small drops, so spraying occurs with minimal drift of the drug past the treated objects. When preparing working solutions, oil dispersions form finely dispersed emulsions with a median particle size of no more than 2 μm: such solutions are stable, uniform and create a good coating on the sheet. The presence of oil in the formulation provides increased stickiness and spreadability of the drug on the sheet, as well as its rain resistance.
In addition, the experts of "August" emphasize that, other things being equal, the preparative form of the oil dispersion allows the fullest realization of the potential of the active components, since the oil serves as a conductor of the active substance through the wax layer of the leaf and helps the drug to get into the deeper layers of the plant (this property is most fully manifested with lipophilic active ingredients). Because the effectiveness of the product is less dependent on the weather, crop protection lasts longer and requires fewer treatments, and high yields can be achieved while minimizing environmental impact.
The factors due to which the preparative form of an oil dispersion is not always optimal include the tendency of such preparations to delaminate with the appearance of a concentration gradient (thorough mixing is necessary), the complexity of their use in tank mixtures, the relative high cost of auxiliary components and their possible effect on the object being processed. (for example, oils in the composition of the dispersion, if used when treating seeds, can slow down their germination). Nevertheless, due to the advantages that oil dispersions have, the development of new drugs in this form in the world continues, and for each of the groups of pesticides. To date, the annual volumes of implementation of KhPZR
in this formulation, as a whole, do not exceed 5% of world sales of pesticides. The maximum share - 7% - falls on herbicides (for comparison, only 3% of insecticides and 1,5% of fungicides are produced in the form of an oil dispersion).
It should be noted that for the first time in Russia, the scientific center of the company "August" developed the basics of the technology for the production of oil formulations, such as oil dispersions and emulsion oil concentrate, as well as nanoscale CSPPs, such as microemulsion concentrates and nanoemulsion concentrates. The need to develop new types of plant protection products is due not only to the need to fully disclose the properties of active components and their combinations, but also to global trends to reduce the pesticide load in the agro-industrial complex, reduce the phytotoxicity of CPPPs and protect the environment in general.