Pesticide formulation


The biological activity of a pesticide, be it chemical or biological in nature, is determined by its active ingredient. Pesticide products very rarely consist of pure technical material. The AI is usually formulated with other materials and this is the product as sold, but it may be further diluted in use. Formulations improves the properties of a chemical for handling, storage, application and may substantially influence effectiveness and safety.
Formulation terminology follows a 2-letter convention: listed by CropLife International in the Catalogue of Pesticide Formulation Types ; see: . Some manufacturers do not follow these industry standards, which can cause confusion for users.

Water-miscible formulations

By far the most frequently used products are formulations for mixing with water then applying as sprays.
Water miscible, older formulations include:
Newer, non-powdery formulations with reduced or no use of hazardous solvents and improved stability include:
Other common formulations include granules and dusts, although for improved safety the latter have been replaced by microgranules. Specialist formulations are available for ultra-low volume spraying, fogging, fumigation, etc. Very occasionally, some pesticides may be sold as technical material.
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 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.