Challenges and solutions in the communication of phytosanitary package leaflets

The article analyzes the communication of phytosanitary product leaflets, highlighting the need for clarity for safe and efficient application. Given the technical complexity and risks, it explores how innovations in communication and technology can improve practice and conscious use. A study of products registered for sorghum crops (Agrofit, Apr-Sep 2021) highlights the urgency of updating leaflets for safety and efficiency. Users are diverse, from technicians to producers, with varying levels of access to information.

The increased use of phytosanitary products, driven by agricultural expansion, brings challenges to application and risks to health and the environment. The package insert is crucial in this context, being an essential communication tool to ensure the correct execution of the application technology by users. Historically, package inserts are dense and not very accessible, focused on technical and regulatory aspects. This lack of clarity affects the efficiency and safety of the application. This article critically analyzes this communication, exploring how the integration of technology can improve knowledge transfer and promote safe practices in the application of phytosanitary products.

Contextualization

For decades, package inserts have focused on legal requirements for technicians. With the democratization of information and the search for safety, it is vital to balance the technical with the accessible, considering users with less education and difficulties in interpretation, which leads to inappropriate applications. Brazilian regulations require clear labeling and safe use. The package insert, accompanying the packaging, must be an understandable vehicle for responsible application.

Brazilian regulations require specific labeling, use and safety. It is crucial that the leaflets are clear and informative, avoiding ambiguities, especially with technological advances and automated applications.

Despite the widespread distribution of phytosanitary products, information on correct application reaches users late. The leaflet, which accompanies the packaging, is the main vehicle for communicating in an understandable way the precautions for responsible application.

Information and security

Correctly interpreting the label is vital for the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of the application. Communication failures (technical terms, poor teaching methods) increase the risk of incorrect use, which harms the producer (costs), the applicator, the crop and the environment. Studies show that visual resources, graphics and step-by-step instructions reduce errors. Modernization via digital media (videos, apps for dosage, tips, pressure, rate, monitoring) can help promote more technical and safer agriculture, giving autonomy and security to users.

It is crucial to adapt the information on the label to regional conditions, since application technology varies with climate, technique, applicators and equipment. NR 31 requires training for applicators, with a formal employment relationship, but not for family farmers, who are many users. Initiatives such as "Aplicador Legal" are important, but have limited reach.

Observed data

In this context, some results observed in the survey of products registered for sorghum cultivation are:

The survey of package inserts for sorghum showed that application rates (ground/aerial) are often recommended in the following ranges: insecticides (45,3%/37,5%), fungicides (52,2%/50,0%) and herbicides (84,0%/66,0%). Recommendations by exact value are less common, especially for aerial application of insecticides (1,56%) and fungicides (not indicated in 11%).

The application rate is heterogeneous, defined by area (predominant in Brazil) or volume. It varies with infestation, stage, plant volume and operational capacity. Despite the common practice of using reduced rates (for efficiency and cost), the instructions are not updated. Instructions for sorghum, for example, did not mention application with Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), whose rates were already lower than those prescribed at the time of this survey.

Regarding weather conditions, most labels provide guidance for before and during application (insecticides 64%, fungicides 76%/74%, herbicides 100%), but few for after (insecticides 9%, fungicides 13%, herbicides 2%). This highlights the need for more educational labels on temperature, humidity and wind, which vary from ideal conditions. There are challenges in interpretation (average vs. range, gusts) and monitoring (distance from the weather station), especially in aerial application.

There are many challenges related to weather conditions. For example: should we consider an average or a range? If we opt for the average – imagine a scenario with zero wind and another with 20 km h-1 – the average would be 10 km h-1. Can we apply under these initial conditions? Furthermore, do we know what effect gusts have on the application? Another aspect is monitoring: how far is the weather station, usually installed near the headquarters, from the application area? In the case of aerial application, for example, the runway is often a few kilometers from the application area, and the weather conditions are monitored on the runway.

Guidance on the development phase of the biological target is crucial for technical recommendations. Only 20% of insecticide leaflets include it. 50% indicate scheduled applications. Few provide information on the level of control (30%) or sampling method (8%). However, 90% provide information on the number of recommended applications.

The labels provide little information about water quality, many only indicating "clean water". Crucial points for good recommendation and use, such as pH (max/min), tank mix, compatibility, solution life, absorption time, mixing order, addition of adjuvants, solubility and vapor pressure, are often omitted or mentioned vaguely.

Technical and popular language

Adapting technical language to different users is a challenge. Experts understand the jargon, but small producers may have difficulty, leading to errors (dilution, safety interval). The lack of standardized terminology hinders knowledge transfer. Glossaries, infographics, support materials and training programs ("Legal Applicator") can improve the understanding and use of leaflets.

Examples of confusing terms include "flow rate" (volume/time) vs. "application rate" (volume/area), and "working speed" vs. "travel speed." Pressure gauges use different scales (bar, kgf, lbs), making adjustments difficult. Package inserts vary in their recommendations for tips/droplet sizes. Standardizing these concepts, which are simple to some and complex to others, would help technical education.

In this sense, several entities must contribute – from technical schools and universities to field instructors – and this adaptation can be done within the scope of a national program, such as, for example, the Legal Applicator. For this adaptation of the language, the contribution of several actors (technical schools, universities, field instructors) is necessary, possibly through an educational program at the regional and national levels.

Adaptation to new technologies

New technologies (sensors, drones, precision agriculture) require that information leaflets include guidance on calibration, adjustments and integration with software, something that is lacking in current communication. QR Codes for tutorials/manuals and digital platforms (apps) for training, simulations and monitoring are effective strategies for updating information and promoting responsible use, and can be adopted by companies.

Industry, researchers and users

An innovative approach is to integrate industry, research, and users to create package inserts that take into account ongoing feedback and dynamically update them. Periodic workshops and training sessions would serve as two-way channels for sharing experiences and challenges, refining the information in the package inserts to reflect actual conditions of use. This collaboration increases the reliability of technical guidance and demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement.

efficient communication

Clearer and more technological communication brings practical benefits: 1) reduces risks/accidents; 2) improves efficiency/effectiveness through correct application; 3) reduces waste; 4) increases user confidence and values ​​manufacturers; 5) reduces drift; 6) educates and generates public trust. This leads to more sustainable, economical and competitive agriculture.

*Per Cleyton Batista de Alvarenga, Agronome Paul Saint-Paul, John Paul Arantes Rodrigues da Cunha e Paula Cristina Natalino Rinaldi, from the Federal University of Uberlândia