This article was co-written with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA Weed Management Specialist – Field Crops What is Tank Mixing? Tank mixing is the practice of combining multiple registered agricultural products in the sprayer tank for application in a single pass. The Pros of Tank Mixing The Cons of Tank Mixing Tank mixing requires caution and careful […]
Many of the application technologies used in specialty crop production today are based on axial fan airblast sprayers (Figure 1). Airblast sprayers were first developed in the 1950s when orchard trees were 6 meters tall or more; today 2-4 meter tall trees are typical. Airblast sprayers are versatile, reliable, and can be modified to fit […]
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This article was co-written with Dr. Sean Westerveld, Ontario Ginseng and Herb Specialist. Introduction An effective ginseng protection program begins with observing the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) process: When spraying is warranted, the operator should understand the basics of application technology. This not only includes the equipment, but the effects of changing spraying parameters (such […]
An “Alternate Row Middle (ARM)” traffic pattern is where the sprayer passes down every second row. The intent is to improve work rate by cutting the driving time in half. The operator hopes to provide suitable coverage on both the sprayer-facing half of the canopy, and that half of the canopy facing the next alley. […]
“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 […]
Read More… from Optics on Airblast Sprayers – What they can’t see