Glossary
The language of crop protection, decoded.
- Active ingredient (a.i.)
- The chemical in a product that actually controls the pest, expressed as g/l (liquids) or g/kg (solids).
- Adjuvant
- An additive that improves spray performance — wetters, spreaders, buffers, water conditioners and oils.
- Arboricide
- A herbicide that kills woody plants and trees, used in bush-encroachment and invasive-species control.
- Bareground
- Total vegetation control — keeping an area completely free of plants, e.g. substations, tank farms, railway ballast.
- Basal-bark application
- Spraying the lower stem of a woody plant with herbicide in an oil carrier so it penetrates the bark.
- Cut-stump treatment
- Applying concentrated herbicide or gel to a freshly cut stump to kill the root system.
- CS (capsule suspension)
- Formulation with active ingredient in microscopic polymer capsules for extended residual and reduced odour.
- EC (emulsifiable concentrate)
- Liquid formulation dissolved in solvent with emulsifiers, forming a milky mix in water.
- FRAC group
- Fungicide Resistance Action Committee code classifying fungicides by mode of action.
- GG (granules for soil application)
- Granular formulation designed to be scattered on soil, e.g. tebuthiuron arboricides.
- HRAC group
- Herbicide Resistance Action Committee code classifying herbicides by mode of action.
- IRAC group
- Insecticide Resistance Action Committee code classifying insecticides by mode of action.
- IRS (indoor residual spraying)
- Applying long-residual insecticide to interior walls to kill resting mosquitoes in malaria control.
- ME (micro-emulsion)
- Water-based liquid formulation with very fine droplets for good spreading and uptake.
- Non-selective herbicide
- Kills virtually all green vegetation it contacts, e.g. glyphosate, paraquat, glufosinate.
- POA
- Price on application — price quoted per enquiry rather than listed.
- Protectant fungicide
- Multi-site fungicide that prevents infection but cannot cure it; must be applied before disease pressure.
- Residual herbicide
- Soil-active herbicide that controls germinating weeds for weeks to months after application.
- SC (suspension concentrate)
- Liquid formulation of finely milled solid active ingredient suspended in water.
- Selective herbicide
- Kills target weeds while leaving the crop or turf unharmed.
- SL (soluble concentrate)
- Liquid formulation fully soluble in water, typical of glyphosate and imidacloprid products.
- Systemic
- Absorbed and transported within the plant, reaching untreated tissue including roots.
- ULV (ultra-low volume)
- Space-spray technique applying small volumes of concentrated product as fine droplets, usually by cold fogger.
- Water conditioner
- Adjuvant (usually ammonium sulphate) that neutralises hard-water ions which weaken glyphosate.
- WG / WDG (water-dispersible granules)
- Dry granules that disperse in water; low-dust alternative to wettable powders.
- WP (wettable powder)
- Powder formulation mixed with water before spraying.
- Withholding period
- Minimum days between last application and harvest or grazing, set by the label.