Spraying Large Nut Trees – Part 1

Introduction I’ve studied spray applications in a diversity of crops, both broad acre and specialty, but perhaps nothing is as challenging large tree nut canopies. Australia’s macadamia orchards can form >10 metre high, >4 metre deep canopy walls! So in writing this article I face the opposite situation I normally encounter when advising on airblast […]

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Tower Power

Are you considering shelling out for a tower extension for your airblast sprayer? Spray towers are an excellent investment, but they warrant special consideration. Towers move the air and nozzles closer to the target compared to the curved booms on a conventional airblast sprayer. When the distance-to-target is reduced, the odds of droplets reaching the […]

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The Agitation over Agitation

Sprayers101 recently received a couple of seemingly unrelated questions about airblast sprayers: What are the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical versus hydraulic agitation? Why would someone want a stainless tank versus the cheaper poly or fiberglass options? Recognizing that each manufacturer has their own reasons for the features and materials used in their sprayers, we […]

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Should Backpack Sprayers be Used to Test Airblast Products? – Part 2

In Part One of this article, we showed that approximately 40% of minor use label expansions and registrant submissions rely on data from hand booms and guns. We also showed that a hydraulic backpack or knapsack will not give the same coverage as an airblast sprayer, and we concluded by suggesting that small plot researchers use […]

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Should Backpack Sprayers be Used to Test Airblast Products? – Part 1

Peer-reviewed journal publications claim there is a significant difference in spray coverage and deposition patterns when an agrichemical product is applied using an airblast sprayer versus a hydraulic hand boom. An airblast sprayer creates Fine droplets that shear in entraining air and are carried into a plant canopy. Properly calibrated, the air opens the canopy […]

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