What are the formulation types of plant protection products and what determines their selection?
Formulation type determines the method of application of the plant protection product, its stability during storage, and most importantly, its biological effectiveness in application. We can draw a comparison to pharmacy – medicines also contain active ingredients and are available in various forms, such as tablets, capsules or syrups. Over several decades of the history of synthetic plant protection products, many formulation types have been developed. Some of these types no longer exist or have been withdrawn, but some very “old” formulation types are still successfully used today. Historically, the oldest formulation types were also the simplest ones, such as powders for direct use or aqueous solutions. Gradually, more complex formulation types were developed, such as those forming emulsions with water (EC) or suspensions with water (WP, SC). Further work resulted in increasingly sophisticated and complex formulation types, such as oil dispersions (OD) or capsule suspensions (CS). There are also formulation types that are combinations of other, simpler formulations, such as SE – a suspo-emulsion that is a combination of SC and EC type, or ZC, which is a combination of SC and CS type. Work on formulation types is still ongoing, and perhaps in the future, new formulation types will emerge that combine easiness of use with the effectiveness of plant protection products.
Formulation Types of Plant Protection Products
Currently, plant protection products are used in several dozen formulation types. Not all are equally popular; the most common include SL, EC, EW, SC, OD, FS, WP, WG and SG. The most common classification provided by FAO/WHO differentiates formulation types of plant protection products based on their physical form. This is a division into liquid and solid formulation types.
| Solid formulation types |
| For direct use: DP, DS, GR |
| For dispersion: WP, WS, WG, WT, EG, EP |
| For dissolution: SP, SS, SG, ST |
| Liquid formulation types |
| Simple solutions: SL, LS, OL, UL, GD |
| Solutions for dispersion: EC, DC |
| Emulsions: EW, ES, ME |
| Suspensions: SC, FS, CS, OD |
| Multi-character: SE, ZC, ZW, ZE |
What Determines the Choice of formulation type of Plant Protection Product
The choice of formulation type for a given plant protection product is most often determined by factors such as the mechanism and mode of action, the physicochemical properties of the active ingredient, and the method of application of the plant protection product. From the perspective of product formulation and the selection of appropriate components, the most important role is played by the physicochemical properties of the active ingredient.
Physicochemical properties of the active ingredient affecting the type of formulation type of the plant protection product:
– Physical form (liquid, solid)
– Solubility in water
– Solubility in solvents
– Melting point
– Sensitivity to the presence of water
Knowledge of the above parameters of the active ingredient, as well as its behavior in the presence of various auxiliary components, allows for the design of plant protection products that are effective in action and maintain good stability during storage.
Author: Piotr Paleń – R&D Director
