Spray Drift Basics

It’s not only field sprayers that drift. Photo Credit – G. Amos and D. Zamora, Washington State.

This article is intended as a basic overview of what pesticide spray drift is and how to avoid it. If you want a more in-depth study of the physics of drift, head over here. Defining Drift Pesticide spray drift is the aerial movement, and unintentional deposit, of pesticide outside the target area. Aside from being […]

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Optics on Airblast Sprayers – What they can’t see

“Precision agriculture” is many things to many people. In the context of spraying, let’s define it as “detecting and responding to variability”. One example of precision ag is the use of crop-sensing optics to efficiently and accurately direct spray application. This is nothing new to field sprayer operators, but did you know that before Ken […]

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Spraying Weather

It’s time to spray and what’s the first thing you do? Check the weather forecast, of course. More often than not, the suitability of the weather is the main factor in the decision to spray. Let’s have a closer look at what each weather component contributes to the decision. Wind: Everyone knows that small droplets […]

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Spray coverage in field tomato

Spraying field tomato is difficult – period. In Ontario, early variety tomato canopies get very dense in July. The inner canopy is relatively still, humid, cool and a perfect environment for diseases such as late blight. It is challenging to deliver fungicides to the inner canopy and this can lead to inadequate disease control. Matters are slightly improved as the […]

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Methods for Determining Nozzle Flow Rate

Calibration should be a regular practice for every operation that uses a sprayer. Part of that process is confirming that each nozzle is operating within the manufacturer’s specifications. This is a must for researchers that adhere to Good Laboratory Practices and for custom operators that sell their services. But we didn’t just fall off the […]

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