VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Visca, Baybay City, Leyte

DEPARTMENT OF PEST MANAGEMENT

TUMULAK, MARY EIMEREN P. Date performed: March 22, 2018

Thursday 7:00 – 10:00 Date submitted: May 7, 2018

Plant Protection 132

GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY

Exercise No. 1
PESTICIDE FORMULATION

Introduction

A pesticide is generally any substance used to kill, prevent or repel pests which include fungi, insects,
weeds and rodents. A single pesticide formulation contains a number of different materials, including active and
inert ingredients, as well as contaminants and impurities.

A pesticide formulation is a homogeneous and stable mixture of active and inert ingredients which make
the final product simpler, safer, and more efficacious to apply to a target pest. To make an active ingredient useful,
other ingredients are added (inert ingredients) to formulate the pesticide into a suitable pest control and into a usable
final product.

Objective

To identify and differentiate the different types of pesticide formulations

Procedure

1. The different formulations provided were examined.

2. A solution/suspension/emulsion of each formulation was prepared. The formulation was simply mixed with
water.
3. All observations during the experiment were recorded.

Results and Discussion

The pesticide formulations (CHIX 2.5, Lannate and Furadan) were mixed with water and different results
were observed. With liquid formulations (CHIX 2.5 - active ingredient: beta-cypermethrin), after adding water, it
was observed that the resulting mixture became cloudy. In a suspension type of formulation, some of the solid
particles did not dissolve in water. This means that when using this type of formulation, one must keep the mixture
agitated to keep the solid particles dispersed well.
Lannate (active ingredient: methomyl) looked like a dry blue powder and dissolved when mixed with
water. The resulting solution is uniform, and no solid particles were observed. The soluble powder readily dissolves
in water when mixed thoroughly. This means that the active ingredient of the product is also soluble in water.
 Figure 1. Various insecticide formulations mixed with water. CHIX liquid insecticide (A) showing a
cloudy resulting solution; dissolved Lannate (B) resulting in a clear blue solution; insoluble black
Furadan granules (C) settling at the bottom of the water.

Furadan (active ingredient: carbofuran) was in granular form. When mixed with water, the black granules
did not dissolve and just settled at the bottom. The granules did not dissolve because of the coating that releases the
active ingredient slowly only with the presence of soil moisture.

Conclusion

CHIX 2.5 (active ingredient: beta-cypermethrin) is a liquid type of pesticide that is mixed with water before
application. When mixed with water, the resulting solution is cloudy (suspension).

Lannate (active ingredient: methomyl) is a dry powder dissolved in water before application. The soluble
powder of the pesticide readily dissolves in water after being mixed thoroughly. The active ingredient of this
product is readily soluble in water.

Furadan (active ingredient: carbofuran) is a granular type of solid formulation and is applied directly to the
soil. The granules do not dissolve in water because they have a coating that enables the pesticide’s active ingredient
to be released slowly into the soil. The active ingredient is released with the presence of the soil’s moisture.

References

Pesticide Formulations. (1999, December). Retrieved April 27, 2018, from npic.orst.edu:
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/formulations.html

What is a Pesticide? (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2018, from Beyond Pesticides:
https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pesticide-gateway/what-is-a-pesticide