Good to the Last Droplet

The most expensive inputs are the ones that don’t work. For your herbicide and pesticide investments to be worthwhile, they must hit their intended target.

Here are some best practices to help keep active ingredients on target and at concentrations where they offer the most benefit.

1. Optimize nozzle performance. Calibrate your spray nozzles and make sure they are within 10 percent of their designed output. Replace any nozzles outside of that range.

2. Check nozzles for desired spray pattern. Flawed spray patterns can be caused by clogged or worn nozzles, improper nozzle cleaning, and also by incorrect boom height. Most spray booms should be a minimum of 20 inches above your target. Check the nozzle manufacturer’s recommendation to make sure you set the proper boom height.

3. Select the correct nozzle output. Nozzle selection should be determined by the type of chemical you are spraying, whether it’s a systemic product like dicamba, 2,4-D or glyphosate; or a contact product such as strobilurin fungicides, or the herbicides fomesafen or glufosinate. Follow label instructions to determine proper droplet size for each application.

4. Hit your target. Spray drift can be controlled by increasing droplet size and using a drift control agent. Reducing fine droplets helps keep products from blowing away, injuring adjacent crops or evaporating too soon. In addition, the spray should reach deep into the crop canopy to achieve better overall coverage. Some drift control agents cannot be used with certain types of nozzles, so be sure to read product labels for any restrictions.

Increased droplet size can be achieved by:

• Changing spray tips.
• Decreasing spray pressure. (This could mean reducing speed during application, increasing spray tip orifice size or using pulsating nozzles.)

5. Use an adjuvant or surfactant. Adjuvants are added to a spray tank to aid or modify the action of a chemical. Some adjuvants increase spray solution performance and others make the solution easier to handle. Surfactants change the surface tension of the water, usually reducing it to increase droplet spread on a leaf. Be sure to thoroughly review the labels of any adjuvants or surfactants you are considering.

Attending a WinField spray clinic or scheduling an on-farm spray assessment can help you fine-tune your equipment and make the most of your crop protection investment. Take the time now to check your sprayer and devise your crop protection strategy. This will help save time during the season and can pay off at harvest by preserving yield.

For more information on WinField spray clinics, contact your local retailer, which you can find at winfield.com/findaretailer.