Welcome to Sprayers 101
Sprayers 101 is a non-profit resource describing best practices in safe, efficient and effective agricultural spraying. The site is based in Canada with content freely contributed by international authors. Browse our library of articles, videos, presentations, apps, calculators, tables and ePubs.
Our most recent articles:
Canada Gazette Part II – Recent and upcoming changes to Canadian rules for operating Remote Piloted Aerial Systems
Editor’s Note: This article was posted in June 2025, and as of November 4th all rules have now come into effect. Summary The Government of Canada introduced the first set of Remote Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS) rules in 2019, which addressed safety concerns and created a flexible and predictable environment for small RPAS flown within…
Exploring the accuracy of drone-applied herbicide treatments
In 2024, Corteva conducted a study entitled “Drone-Delivered Herbicides: Comparing Lontrel XC (Clopyralid) Efficacy Across Application Techniques and Water Volumes”. Their objective was to compare the relative efficacy of hand booms and drones, and to determine if drone efficacy was affected by low water rates. The researchers evaluated the area treated and the effective swath…
Comparing Fluorescent Dyes for Spray Coverage Evaluation
I work in agricultural extension and I’m always on the lookout for new methods to help me achieve my goals. A big part of my job is to research and teach efficient, effective and safe crop protection practices, so it follows that I have to be able to evaluate the quality of a spray application.…
Past articles you might like:
Selecting the Right Water Volume
Low water volumes can mean less effort to apply pesticides. But there is a limit to how low water volumes can go before problems appear. To understand the reasons why, and help applicators use the right volume for a given situation, we briefly outline what happens to a spray cloud as it reaches the crop canopy. Basic Principles…
Cleaning Your Sprayer
We all know the importance of cleaning out a sprayer. It protects a sensitive crop. It protects people working with the sprayer. It protects the sprayer and its components. But cleaning the sprayer is a pain. Here are some tips to make it easier. Some herbicide label instructions are cumbersome, requiring many flushes with full…
Four Rules of Nozzle Selection
Nozzle choice can be overwhelming due to the large selection available from many suppliers. But nozzles are the most important part of the sprayer, being responsible for metering the liquid, atomizing it into droplets, and distributing it across the boom. Review this list for what’s available, then follow these general recommendations. 1. Choose a Coarse…