What is a potential risk of tank mixing herbicides?

Tank mixing herbicides can lead to phytotoxicity, which is the injury to non-target plants, due to the combined effects of the chemicals involved. Different herbicides have unique active ingredients and modes of action, and when mixed, they can interact in ways that may enhance their activity beyond intended levels, potentially harming sensitive nearby plants. This risk is heightened when the application conditions, such as environmental stress on the plants like drought or heat, are not ideal.

While tank mixing can reduce the overall amount of products needed for an effective treatment—potentially leading to cost savings—or may sometimes improve efficacy against specific weed populations, the main concern is that non-target plant species may suffer from unintended damage. This makes understanding the specific interactions between different herbicides critical for ensuring non-target safety during application.

In contrast, reduced efficacy or increased costs may occur in some scenarios, but they are not inherent risks of tank mixing unless miscalculated. Therefore, the danger posed to non-target plants is the critical risk that should be taken into account when considering herbicide applications.