Exploding Sprayer Myths (ep.7): Boom Height

It’s a new season of Exploding Sprayer Myths so we’ve got a new opening sequence! In this episode we demonstrate the importance of nozzle spacing, spray angle and boom height. We also turn a hapless pineapple into a projectile and spray dyed antifreeze on a cold winter day. Learn more about how boom height affects […]

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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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Three Features that Should be Standard on all Sprayers

One of my main activities in the winter is public speaking. Attending producer meetings gives me the privilege of meeting many farmers, learning about their operations, and sharing my research results. I enjoy providing practical solutions to problems. But there are three issues that always come up to which I wish I had better answers. […]

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Spray Drift – Why is it still happening?

Despite the abundance of information available on spray drift, we continue to see widespread incidents of damage to a variety of crops every year. Do applicators just not care or are they missing some vital information when making decisions to spray? I believe it is the latter. What is the problem? In my experience, the […]

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