Biological insecticides, surfactant

There are six papers la this section. They deal with biological insecticide formulations (Ward), water dispersible granules (Wright and Ibrahim), analysis of formulations for quality control and identification of toxic contaminants (Plimmer), identification of surfactant metabolites (Stolzenberg et al.), electrostatic spraying (Law) and compatibility and tank-mix testing (Tarwater). 

A wettable powder formulation of a biological insecticide requires a surface active agent (surfactant). This allows... 

SSF technology can be applied to a wide range of pesticide materials, including herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Surfactant chemistry can be used to optimize the formulation efficacy in the development of an herbicide SSF. Combination packs diat include both water-soluble and water-insoluble actives can also be developed. Formulation adjuvants such as oils or electrolytes can be incorporated into an SSF formulation to increase its biological activity. 

Several biobased surfactants have been reported to have manifold biological activities covering antibiotics, fungicidal, insecticide, antiviral and antitumoral agents, immunomodulators or specific toxins, and enzyme inhibitors [30]. 

Microemulsions are a special type of EC. These systems are thermodynamically stable mixtures with microemulsion particle sizes of <0.1 pm. These systems form clear dispersions when diluted, and are stable over wide temperature ranges. Microemulsions often exhibit enhanced biological activity. Microemulsion systems usually require high levels of surfactant blends (10-40%) with solvent and often a cosolvent. [10,11]. The higher loading of surfactant with the solvent and cosolvent means microemulsions can only be formulated at relatively low levels of Al, which adds to the expense of these systems. These formulations are economical in systems that maintain their activity at high dilutions, such as insecticides and fungicides. An example of a microemulsion system developed for some insecticides is shown in Table 12.3. 

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