Fulvic Acid Adjuvant Reduces Herbicide Usage on Habitat Restoration Projects

Vegetation management in habitat restoration projects often follows a pattern of spraying non-native, invasive plants and replanting with native plants. Over-reliance on herbicide is a key issue for study and innovation in order to create healthier habitats for wildlife. In 2024, Phoenix Habitats developed an initial herbicide reduction strategy by incorporating a fulvic acid adjuvant product. Fulvic acid is an organic compound that is naturally occurring in soil humus and stimulates increased nutrient uptake in plants. It is widely used in agriculture to stimulate increased absorption of nutrients in sprayed fertilizers. Initial experimental applications consistently show that it also promotes herbicide absorption. This increased rate of absorption allows for a decrease in herbicide concentration by 50% or more, while still achieving desired rates for target invasive plant mortality. While further study is needed for a wide array of invasive species targets, these initial findings suggest that herbicide usage on all most habitat restoration projects could be reduced by 50% in total volume of herbicide product. This represents a significant starting point for regional herbicide reduction, and launch point for continued innovation on further herbicide reduction strategies.