Foods / Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025

Sticky pesticides: Farmers don’t like using pesticides anymore than we like traces of them on our food. Here’s a smart way forward

Sticky pesticides: Farmers don’t like using pesticides anymore than we like traces of them on our food. Here’s a smart way forward

XLinkedInFacebookRedditBlueskyThreads

It’s easy for Greenpeace employees in cities to talk about farming but in the real world, without pesticides we’d lose 78 percent of fruit, 54 percent of vegetables, and 32 percent of cereal crops.

Most farmers want to optimize razor-thin margins and protect their biggest asset, land, so they are cautious about spraying too much, but the organic process leads to startling amounts of nitrogen runoff into rivers and ground water.

Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter.

A company [Agzen] has a better way; an affordable thin coating around droplets as they are being sprayed which prevents ‘bounce’ so the droplets stick to the leaves as intended.

[T]he treatment improved the droplets’ “stickiness” by as much as a hundredfold.

[A] small amount, even .01 of something like soybean oil, led to improvement in droplets sticking to the surface. Products farmers already use in their spraying, like adjuvants, can also provide the same benefits in keeping the droplets stuck on the leaves.

Which means environmentally conservative farmers won’t worry about introducing something new.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here

combined disclaimer outlined@ x
donation plea outlined@ x
XLinkedInFacebookRedditBlueskyThreads
podcastsGLP Podcasts & Podcast VideosMore...
Video: Nuclear energy will destroy us? Global warming is an existential threat? Chemicals are massacring bees? Donate to the Green Industrial Complex!

Video: Nuclear energy will destroy us? Global warming is an existential threat? Chemicals are massacring bees? Donate to the Green Industrial Complex!

v facts and fallacies cameron and liza default featured image outlined

GLP podcast: Science journalism is a mess. Here’s how to fix it

Mosquito massacre: Can we safely tackle malaria with a CRISPR gene drive?

Mosquito massacre: Can we safely tackle malaria with a CRISPR gene drive?

dead bee desolate city

Are we facing an ‘Insect Apocalypse’ caused by ‘intensive, industrial’ farming and agricultural chemicals? The media say yes; Science says ‘no’

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...
science hand testtube x

Why is there controversy over GMO foods but not GMO drugs?

Genetic Literacy Project
international law x

How are GMOs labeled around the world?

Genetic Literacy Project
two types of breeding x

How does genetic engineering differ from conventional breeding?

Genetic Literacy Project
Screen Shot at AM

Alex Jones: Right-wing conspiracy theorist stokes fear of GMOs, pesticides to sell ‘health supplements’

T H LO

IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer): Glyphosate cancer determination challenged by world consensus

Most Popular

  • microdosingA single high dose of LSD can ease anxiety and depression for months

  • From plastic coasters to human hearts: Inside the race to print the human body

  • CRISPR pork: U.S. approves first gene-edited pigs for consumption

  • ‘SuperAgers’: Why some people have the brains and memory capacity of people decades younger 

  • Viewpoint: Life and death decisions: RFK, Jr.’s shady FDA “expert panels” operate in secret with no transcripts or conflict of interest reviews

  • From ‘Frankenfood’ to superfood: Can the purple tomato overcome GMO myths to win over consumers?

  • Baby food panic, brought to you by trial lawyers hoping to prosecute by press release

  • When farmers deny science: The hypocrisy hurting agriculture’s credibility

Follow Us

Newsletter

Be the first to know about new products and promotions.

Subscribe with your email

Tranding

Tags

zolentz

Fresh, fast, and fun — all the entertainment you need in one place.

© Zolentz. All Rights Reserved. Designed by zolentz