Which type of adjuvant increases the viscosity of spray mixtures?

Which type of adjuvant increases the viscosity of spray mixtures?

• A. Surfactants
• B. Thickeners
• C. Emulsifiers
• D. Carriers

Answer: (B)

Thickening agents are used to raise the viscosity of spray mixtures. By increasing the liquid’s resistance to flow, they make the solution thicker, which helps the spray cling to surfaces, reduces drift, and improves coverage on targeted areas like leaves or vertical surfaces. Surfactants mainly lower surface tension to improve wetting and spreading, not to make the mixture thicker. Emulsifiers stabilize mixtures of immiscible liquids, while carriers are the base liquid or solvent carrying the active ingredient; neither is primarily used to increase viscosity. So, the adjuvant that increases viscosity is the thickener.