Variable Rate Spraying

Variable rate spray application is receiving a lot or attention with our increased ability to farm according to prescription maps.  For dry products such as seed or fertilizer, metering is relatively straight-forward and variable rate application has been possible for many years. However, liquid product application has been more complex and requires special approaches Hydraulic […]

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Compulsory, Standardized Sprayer Inspections

Sprayer Calibration in Belgium

Spring always brings renewed interest in sprayer calibration. This is good, because a well-maintained and calibrated sprayer will protect crops more effectively and efficiently, as well as reduce the potential for off-target drift and point source contamination. Presently, there is no nationally-recognized standard for sprayer calibration in either Canada or the United States. As a result […]

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Pressure spikes and relief valves on air-assist sprayers

A properly-sized pump should produce more flow than is needed and work in conjunction with the atomizers to regulate that flow. Typical to high pressure pumps, a piston relief valve (aka regulator) should maintain the desired system pressure through the normal speed range of the sprayer, regardless of the number of booms (or boom-sections) that […]

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Nozzle Selection for Boom Sprayers

Sprayer nozzle Turret

Picking the correct nozzle for a spray job can be a daunting task.  There is a lot of product selection, and a lot of different features.  We try to break the process down into four steps. 1. Identify Your Needs Before making any assumptions about the right nozzle for you, review your needs and objectives. […]

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Sprayer Math for Banded Applications

Figure 3

Where crops are planted in rows, growers can save on chemical costs and reduce potentially wasted spray by performing banded applications. A banded application is treating parallel bands (Figure one), unlike a broadcast application where the entire area is treated (Figure two). This means only a portion of the field or orchard/vineyard floor receives spray, […]

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