Challenges Farmers Face in Using Pesticides and Formulation Solutions

The main challenges farmers face in using pesticides are not about product availability — they are about consistency of results in the field: inconsistent pest control efficacy, spray that fails to adhere to leaf surfaces, rainfall washing away pesticide residues before the active ingredient can affect its target, pest resistance, unpredictable weather, and mounting application costs. The choice of formulation and supporting materials such as adjuvants ultimately determines whether a pesticide performs as expected under real field conditions.

Why Is Pesticide Use a Challenge for Farmers?

Pest and disease pressure can shift rapidly, while field conditions and weather vary from one location to the next. As a result, the same pesticide application does not always deliver consistent results. Farmers must balance four competing priorities at once: control efficacy, cost, safety, and crop yield — and these frequently pull against each other.

7 Key Challenges Farmers Face in Using Pesticides

Inconsistent Control Efficacy

Farmers invest in an application, yet pest control results are not always optimal. The causes vary: uneven application, poor coverage, active ingredient failing to reach the target effectively, or environmental conditions affecting product performance at the time of spraying.

Suboptimal Coverage on Plant Surfaces

Many plant leaf surfaces have hydrophobic characteristics or low wettability — depending on species, cuticle structure, and wax layer — causing spray droplets to bead up and roll off rather than spread evenly. This is directly tied to the concepts of wetting, spreading, adhesion, and retention: four factors that determine how much active ingredient actually remains on the plant after application.

Pesticides Washed Off by Rain

Rainfall shortly after application can wash pesticide residues from leaf surfaces before the active ingredient has had time to affect its target — a phenomenon known as rainfastness. The hydrophobic characteristics of leaf surfaces make pesticides harder to retain than on more hydrophilic surfaces, meaning application timing relative to rainfall forecasts also influences the final outcome.

Pest Resistance to Pesticides

Repeated use of active ingredients with the same mode of action creates selection pressure on pest populations, which can gradually reduce product efficacy over time. Rotating active ingredients with different modes of action is one of the most widely recommended resistance management strategies, in line with integrated pest management (IPM) principles. This is fundamentally an agronomic challenge, not simply a formulation issue.

Unpredictable Weather and Environmental Conditions

Rain, high temperatures, humidity, and wind can all affect application results — from drift risk on windy days to rapid evaporation in hot conditions. The combination of these factors narrows the ideal application window considerably.

High Application Frequency and Costs

The total cost of pest control is not just about the price of the pesticide itself, but also application frequency, labour, volume required, and potential yield loss if control fails. What farmers are really looking for is not the cheapest pesticide, but cost-effective pest control overall.

Pesticides Struggling to Reach the Target Effectively

Active ingredients must reach the location of the pest or pathogen to work. In practice, this is often difficult — pests may be on the underside of leaves, canopies may be too dense, droplet size may not be suitable, or spray penetration into the inner canopy may be insufficient. These factors are closely tied to spray application characteristics: droplet distribution pattern, droplet size, and the ability to penetrate parts of the plant that are less accessible.

From Field Challenges to Formulation Needs

Not all of the challenges above can be solved through formulation — pest resistance, for example, is an agronomic issue that demands mode-of-action rotation strategies and IPM. However, several application challenges are directly dependent on the formulation characteristics chosen by the formulator:

The Role of Adjuvants in Addressing Pesticide Application Challenges

An adjuvant is an additive in a pesticide mixture that helps improve application characteristics — it is not the active ingredient that controls the pest itself. Below are its main functions, mapped directly to the challenges above:

Wetting — certain adjuvants can help reduce droplet surface tension, allowing spray liquid to wet hydrophobic leaf surfaces more effectively rather than beading up and rolling off.

Spreading — once wetting is achieved, adjuvants can support droplet spreading into a thinner, more even layer across the leaf surface, increasing the contact area with the active ingredient.

Adhesion & Retention — adhesive properties in certain adjuvants (often called stickers) can help the active ingredient remain longer on the plant surface, reducing the risk of it falling off before it reaches its target.

Rainfastness — some adjuvants can help retain the active ingredient on the plant surface when rainfall occurs after application, though the final outcome still depends on the product type, formulation, and field conditions.

Compatibility — the right adjuvant helps maintain the stability of the mixture when multiple products are combined in a single tank, reducing the risk of separation or flocculation.

Note: the characteristics above are supportive in nature — final results still depend on field conditions, dosage, and the method of application used.

How to Select Ingredients for Pesticide Formulation

Selecting formulation ingredients should ideally take into account:

1. Crop type and leaf surface characteristics
2. Target pest or disease
3. Type of active ingredient used
4. Formulation type (EC, SC, WP, and others)
5. Weather conditions at the time of planned application
6. Application method (manual sprayer, mechanised, or drone)
7. Compatibility with other materials in the tank mix
8. Expected performance targets
9. Applicable regulatory requirements

Pesticide Formulation Ingredient Solutions from Bahtera Adi Jaya

For formulation needs where wetting and spreading characteristics are a priority in large-scale agrochemical applications, one ingredient worth considering is Agnique® BL 7059 from BASF — a surfactant blend used as an adjuvant in agrochemical formulations. This product can be selected when a formulation requires specific surfactant characteristics to support pesticide application in the field.

Available from Bahtera Adi Jaya local stock with shorter lead times than direct imports, supported by complete technical documentation (COA, MSDS/SDS) and formulation assistance from our technical sales team.

Further reading: Agnique® BL 7059: Definition, Benefits, Application and How to Get It and Ingredients in the Best Pesticide Formulations.

FAQ

What are the main challenges farmers face in using pesticides? The seven main challenges include inconsistent control efficacy, suboptimal coverage, rain washing off pesticides, pest resistance, unpredictable weather, high application costs, and difficulty reaching the target effectively.

Why does a pesticide sometimes fail to work optimally even when applied correctly? It can be caused by uneven application, low coverage due to the hydrophobic characteristics of leaf surfaces, or environmental conditions (wind, temperature, humidity) affecting performance during application.

Why are pesticides easily washed off after rain? Because pesticide residues on leaf surfaces can be washed away before the active ingredient has had time to affect its target. This is referred to as rainfastness, and the level of susceptibility varies depending on the formulation type and whether a supporting adjuvant is used.

What is the function of an adjuvant in pesticide formulation? Adjuvants help improve application characteristics — such as wetting, spreading, adhesion, and rain resistance — without acting as the active pest-control ingredient.

What causes pest resistance to pesticides? Repeated use of active ingredients with the same mode of action creates selection pressure, causing surviving pest populations to become increasingly resistant from generation to generation.

Where can I buy adjuvants for pesticide formulation? PT Bahtera Adi Jaya supplies a range of pesticide adjuvants from global principals such as BASF, including Agnique® BL 7059. Our sales team can assist with product selection through to formulation support.

Conclusion

Farmers need not only effective pesticides, but formulations that can perform under actual field application conditions — from wetting and spreading to adhesion and rainfastness. Selecting the right formulation ingredients can help formulators develop pesticide products with application characteristics that better match real-world needs.

PT Bahtera Adi Jaya is a trusted chemical distributor with over 20 years of experience, providing 800+ products from 50+ suppliers, and has handled 10,000+ transactions serving the Agriculture industry and 5 other sectors across Indonesia — supported by local stock, complete technical documentation (COA/MSDS), and formulation assistance from our technical sales team.

Looking to consult on adjuvants for your pesticide formulation? Contact the Bahtera Adi Jaya sales team.