Think before adding adjuvants

Spreader/Surfactant penetrating wax paper to get to water-sensitive paper.

It’s odd to begin an article by suggesting the reader consult another, but Dr. Tom Wolf wrote a great article about adjuvants for SaskPulse in 2023 and you can and should download it here. Tom defines adjuvants as “any substance in an herbicide formulation or added to the spray tank to modify the biological activity […]

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Establishing an optimal airblast carrier volume

An orchardist taught me this trick: If you want to know if spray will penetrate a canopy, you should be able to see sunlight through the shadow at high noon.

Thanks to Mark Ledebuhr of Application Insight LLC for his contributions to this article. North American product labels may or may not include carrier volume recommendations. When they do, it could be based on a two-dimensional value like the planted area, or perhaps on row length which is more appropriate for trellised crops that form […]

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Crop-Adapted Spraying – A Multiyear Study in Highbush Blueberry (2024 Update)

This case study is taking place on a 15 acre highbush blueberry operation in southern Ontario. In 2016, considerable pressure from spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) prompted the growers to make changes to their crop management practices and their spray program. They employed a three-pronged approach to improving crop protection: We have been tracking pesticide use, water […]

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Determining an ideal airblast sprayer travel speed using the “Air Displacements” method

The concept of Air Displacements was developed by Dr. David Manktelow, Applied Research and Technologies Ltd. What is the “right” speed to drive when spraying? Airblast sprayer operators must know their average travel speed to calculate how much pesticide and time is required to complete a spray job. Note that it’s an average, not a […]

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Airblast Productivity and Work Rate Calculator

There are many factors that affect the work rate of an airblast application. If an operator can improve their work rate, without compromising spray efficacy or safety, they improve operational efficiency and save money. But how does each variable factor in? Is it worth the cost of a tender truck and operator to fill more […]

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