Packaging pesticides this way is more practical, and the method is easy to understand at a glance

Improper pesticide application is extremely harmful. To eliminate the dangers of pesticides, correct use of pesticides, pesticide packaging and instructions for use play a key role. Pesticide packaging and instructions for use should strictly implement national standards, and the content on labels should be plain, accurate and scientific, so that users can easily understand and master the correct method of using the product. In the course of providing services in rural areas, the author found that farmers' most direct requirements for pesticide packaging cover the following nine aspects;

1. Anti-counterfeiting marks

In recent years, cases of fake pesticides cheating and harming farmers have occurred from time to time, and farmers have been badly burned by fake pesticides. Therefore, farmers hope that pesticide companies can apply high-tech anti-counterfeiting technology to various pesticide packages to make it easier to identify authenticity. They also hope that the industry and commerce departments can focus on regulating counterfeit anti-counterfeiting marks, so that anti-counterfeiting marks truly play an anti-counterfeiting role. More importantly, they hope to further strengthen pesticide market management and prevent fake pesticides from entering the agricultural materials circulation market.

2. Graduations or measuring devices on packaging bottles

There are no graduations on pesticide packaging bottles, so farmers often can only rely on eyesight and experience to determine the pesticide dosage. Too much causes phytotoxicity, while too little fails to achieve the best control effect. In this regard, farmers hope that pesticide manufacturers can print graduations on packaging bottles that show weight or volume. Of course, if pesticide packaging bottles (bags) are equipped with measuring devices marked with pesticide dosages, one device per bottle (bag), that would be even more popular among farmers.

3. Dilution concentrations easy to understand

The dilution concentration of pesticides is generally indicated on the label as how many times to dilute the liquid (such as 500 times, 200 times, etc.). In recent years, as young people in rural areas have gone to cities to work, most of those engaged in agricultural production at home are women and elderly people with relatively low education levels, who find it difficult to understand and calculate this. Therefore, farmers hope that, in addition to indicating the dilution multiple, a column can be added to directly state how much pesticide should be used per mu or per standard spraying device (such as a 15 kg sprayer), making it easy for users to understand.

4. Small-dose packaging

Pesticides bought by farming households cannot be used up in one go and are stored at home. If stored improperly, accidents can occur in which livestock, poultry or even family members mistakenly take them and are poisoned. In addition, every year in China's rural areas, a large number of villagers commit suicide by secretly taking pesticides because of conflicts among family members. Therefore, farmers hope that pesticide manufacturers can preferably produce more pesticides in small-dose packaging, to be bought and used immediately. For example, producing more small-dose injectable pesticides.

5. First-aid methods for poisoning

It is somewhat difficult for farmers to absolutely avoid pesticide poisoning accidents during the storage and use of pesticides. Once pesticide poisoning occurs, on-site rescue is necessary. However, there are more and more types of pesticides, and different types of pesticide poisoning require different first-aid methods. Once pesticide poisoning occurs, farmers, including some village doctors, are often at a loss. Therefore, farmers hope that the packaging can plainly introduce first-aid methods after pesticide poisoning.

6. Prohibited species

The harm of pesticide residues is attracting more and more public attention, and market access requirements for agricultural products, especially vegetables and fruits, are becoming increasingly strict. Farmers hope that manufacturers can indicate on pesticide packaging bags the applicable crop types and prohibited crop types, so that the agricultural products produced can meet pollution-free standards.

7. Interval time for use on vegetables and fruits

Because pesticide packaging does not state the interval time when used to kill pests on vegetables and fruits, vegetable growers and fruit growers often do not pay attention to the interval time before vegetables are marketed when using pesticides to control pests and diseases, resulting in large pesticide residues on vegetables and endangering consumer safety. Therefore, farmers hope that pesticide packaging indicate that when used on vegetables and fruits, use must be prohibited a few days before marketing.

8. Acidity and alkalinity of pesticides

Many pesticide packages do not indicate whether they are acidic, alkaline or neutral, yet they are labeled with warnings that the pesticide cannot be mixed with alkaline or acidic pesticides. As a result, farmers simply do not know which pesticides can be mixed and which cannot. Therefore, they hope that pesticide packaging will note the acidity and alkalinity of the pesticide, so that users know whether they can be mixed, avoiding mixing pesticides that cannot be mixed and causing reduced efficacy or phytotoxicity.

9. Replacing glass with plastic in liquid-form pesticide packaging

About two-thirds of the pesticides currently used are liquid formulations. For a long time, liquid pesticides have been packaged in glass bottles. However, glass bottles have disadvantages such as a high breakage rate, poor sealing of the inner stopper and inconvenient measurement. Plastic containers, on the other hand, have advantages such as being light, drop-resistant, accurately measured and low in overall packaging cost. Therefore, replacing glass with plastic has become an irreversible development trend in pesticide packaging. Pesticides packaged in plastic bags are widely used in countries such as Europe, America and Japan. When using them, one only needs to put the required dose of the pesticide packet into a measured amount of water; users do not need to come into direct contact with the pesticide, avoiding poisoning, and on the other hand, the measurement is accurate, avoiding excessive or insufficient pesticide use.