How to interpret a water quality test result

It’s common advice: Test your water before using it as a spray carrier. You dutifully sample the well or dugout and await lab results. And what comes back is a whole lot of numbers. How to make sense of it all? All three of these tests report a large number of properties and identify specific […]

Read More… from How to interpret a water quality test result

Exploding Sprayer Myths (ep.13): Reading Nozzles and Nozzle Tables

After a long hiatus, it’s lucky episode 13! In this installment, Dr. Tom Wolf, intrepid reporter, braves the unforgiving wilds of Saskatoon as he investigates claims of mysterious devices popping up all over the city. Colloquially referred to as “nozzles” these items are imprinted with obscure codes that scientists are struggling to decipher. Be the […]

Read More… from Exploding Sprayer Myths (ep.13): Reading Nozzles and Nozzle Tables

Dealing with Pesticide Shortages in 2022

We’ve had dire warnings about possible pesticide shortages and price hikes for 2022. Price hikes are one thing. But if the products we need simply won’t be available, we have a tougher challenge.  It’s time to plan pesticide conservation. But first, what’s behind the product shortage? Emily Unglesby of dtnpf.com provided an excellent overview of […]

Read More… from Dealing with Pesticide Shortages in 2022

What’s the Cost of Poor Deposit Uniformity?

We’ve heard it often: calibrate your nozzles to be sure your boom output is uniform across its entire width. The downside of poor uniformity is obvious: strips of over- or under-application causing problems with pest control or crop tolerance. A graduated cylinder held for 30 s under each nozzle is the approach of choice. Several […]

Read More… from What’s the Cost of Poor Deposit Uniformity?

Pressure Changes Spray Angles

Soybean demo plot sprayed with a contact herbicide using 110 degree air induction flat fans at 20 psi. The collapsed spray pattern did not overlap sufficiently to burn the entire crop down, leaving a striped pattern and demonstrating the poor coverage.

This work was performed with Victoria Radaukas, 2015 OMAFRA application technology summer student. When we consult a nozzle catalogue we are interested in the flow and droplet sizes produced at a given pressure. Perhaps we should also consider the effect of pressure on spray angle. We have several articles discussing the collective impact of spray […]

Read More… from Pressure Changes Spray Angles