Surfactants: Efficient "Catalysts" in Agricultural Applications
In modern agriculture, surfactants are becoming an important "catalyst" for increasing crop yields
and improving the quality of agricultural products with their unique properties
and broad application prospects. They bring many advantages to agricultural production by reducing
the surface tension of solutions, increasing the wettability and permeability
of solutions, and improving the properties of soil and plant surfaces.
1. Basic principles of surfactants
Surfactants are a class of substances that can significantly change the surface properties of solvents
and the interfacial tension of systems at low concentrations.
They have an amphiphilic structure, that is, they are both hydrophilic and lipophilic, which enables
them to form a stable interfacial film between water and oil. In agricultural applications,
surfactants mainly play a role by reducing surface tension and increasing wettability and permeability.
2. Advantages of surfactants in agricultural applications
Improve the utilization rate of pesticides
Surfactants can improve the dispersibility and stability of pesticides in water, making them easier to
contact with plant leaves and pest surfaces. By reducing surface tension,
surfactants enable pesticide droplets to spread evenly on the surface of plants, increasing the coverage area,
thereby improving the utilization rate and control effect of pesticides.
At the same time, they can also enhance the permeability of pesticides, allowing pesticides to more effectively
pass through the wax layer of plant leaves and reach the target site.
Promote foliar fertilizer absorption
Foliar fertilizer is a common fertilization method in modern agriculture. Surfactants can increase the wettability
and permeability of foliar fertilizers, making fertilizer liquid more easily
absorbed by plant leaves. They can also dissolve the wax layer of plant leaves, change the leaf surface structure,
increase the surface energy of the leaves, and further promote the absorption
of nutrients. In addition, surfactants also have good moisturizing and adhesion effects, which can prolong the
residence time of foliar fertilizers on the leaves and improve the absorption
efficiency of nutrients.
Improve soil properties
Surfactants also play an important role in soil remediation and improvement of soil properties. They can reduce
the surface tension between soil particles, promote the formation of
soil aggregate structure, and enhance the water permeability and water retention capacity of the soil. At the same time,
surfactants can also combine with organic pollutants in the soil,
promote their migration and transformation, and reduce the degree of soil pollution.
Improve crop stress resistance
Surfactants can also improve crop stress resistance by regulating the physiological metabolic process in plants.
They can affect the opening and closing of stomata in plant leaves,
regulate plant transpiration and photosynthesis, and thus improve crop resistance to drought, disease, and cold.
In addition, surfactants can promote plant growth and development,
and improve crop yield and quality.
3. Application Examples of Surfactants
Organosilicon Adjuvant Surfactants
Organosilicon adjuvant surfactants are additives specifically used to improve the performance and effectiveness of
agricultural chemicals. They contain organosilicon compounds,
which mainly help optimize the performance of formulations by reducing surface tension and improving spreading
and wetting ability. In pesticides, silicone adjuvant surfactants can
enhance the rain resistance of pesticides, enabling them to withstand rainfall or irrigation events and reduce the risk
of product washing away. At the same time, they can also reduce
drift during spraying operations and improve application accuracy.
Rhamnolipid Biosurfactants
Rhamnolipids are a type of glycolipid metabolite produced by microbial fermentation, which has significant advantages
in ecology, safety, and stability. As a biosurfactant, rhamnolipids
can reduce liquid surface tension and contact angle, and promote the absorption of nutrients in fertilizers by plants.
At the same time, it also has excellent chelating ability and rapid
conduction ability of trace elements, which can ensure the long-term effectiveness of fertilizers. In terms of soil remediation,
rhamnolipids can enhance the water permeability and water
retention capacity of soil, improve soil aggregate structure, and reduce the degree of soil pollution.
4. Conclusion
Surfactants play an important role in agricultural applications. They bring many advantages to agricultural production by
improving the utilization rate of pesticides, promoting
foliar fertilizer absorption, improving soil properties and improving crop resistance. With the advancement of science and
technology and the enhancement of people's awareness
of environmental protection, the research and application of surfactants in the agricultural field will be more extensive and
in-depth in the future.
