• Latest
  • Trending
Calibrate sprayers to save money on pesticides

Calibrate sprayers to save money on pesticides

May 6, 2022
Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

June 3, 2025
Noonday Onions Defy Early Challenges: Farmers Eye Bumper Crop with Optimism

Noonday Onions Defy Early Challenges: Farmers Eye Bumper Crop with Optimism

June 3, 2025
Why Are Onion Prices Soaring in Bangladesh Despite Peak Harvest? Farmers, Traders, and Market Dynamics Explained

Why Are Onion Prices Soaring in Bangladesh Despite Peak Harvest? Farmers, Traders, and Market Dynamics Explained

June 3, 2025
Almería Dominates Global Pepper Exports: Outshines Netherlands, Morocco, and Turkey in 2024

Almería Dominates Global Pepper Exports: Outshines Netherlands, Morocco, and Turkey in 2024

June 2, 2025
Austrian Carrot Market Update: Early Harvest Insights and Pricing Trends for 2024

Austrian Carrot Market Update: Early Harvest Insights and Pricing Trends for 2024

June 2, 2025
Austrian Onion Market Update: Final 2024 Yellow Onions Sold Out – What’s Next for Farmers and Buyers?

Austrian Onion Market Update: Final 2024 Yellow Onions Sold Out – What’s Next for Farmers and Buyers?

June 2, 2025
Starch Potato Prices Rise in 2024: What Farmers and Agronomists Need to Know

Starch Potato Prices Rise in 2024: What Farmers and Agronomists Need to Know

June 1, 2025
Iceberg Lettuce Glut: Challenges and Opportunities for Farmers and Markets

Iceberg Lettuce Glut: Challenges and Opportunities for Farmers and Markets

June 1, 2025
Title: “Market Volatility in European Produce: How Quality and Supply Shifts Are Reshaping Prices”

Title: “Market Volatility in European Produce: How Quality and Supply Shifts Are Reshaping Prices”

May 31, 2025
Spain Dominates Global Cucumber Exports in 2024: A Deep Dive into the Data

Spain Dominates Global Cucumber Exports in 2024: A Deep Dive into the Data

May 31, 2025
High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

May 30, 2025
Swiss Cherry Harvest 2024: High Yields, Better Quality, and Market Challenges

Swiss Cherry Harvest 2024: High Yields, Better Quality, and Market Challenges

May 30, 2025
  • Company
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Vegetables News
  • NEWS
    Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

    Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

    Noonday Onions Defy Early Challenges: Farmers Eye Bumper Crop with Optimism

    Noonday Onions Defy Early Challenges: Farmers Eye Bumper Crop with Optimism

    Why Are Onion Prices Soaring in Bangladesh Despite Peak Harvest? Farmers, Traders, and Market Dynamics Explained

    Why Are Onion Prices Soaring in Bangladesh Despite Peak Harvest? Farmers, Traders, and Market Dynamics Explained

    Almería Dominates Global Pepper Exports: Outshines Netherlands, Morocco, and Turkey in 2024

    Almería Dominates Global Pepper Exports: Outshines Netherlands, Morocco, and Turkey in 2024

    Austrian Carrot Market Update: Early Harvest Insights and Pricing Trends for 2024

    Austrian Carrot Market Update: Early Harvest Insights and Pricing Trends for 2024

    Austrian Onion Market Update: Final 2024 Yellow Onions Sold Out – What’s Next for Farmers and Buyers?

    Austrian Onion Market Update: Final 2024 Yellow Onions Sold Out – What’s Next for Farmers and Buyers?

    Starch Potato Prices Rise in 2024: What Farmers and Agronomists Need to Know

    Starch Potato Prices Rise in 2024: What Farmers and Agronomists Need to Know

    Iceberg Lettuce Glut: Challenges and Opportunities for Farmers and Markets

    Iceberg Lettuce Glut: Challenges and Opportunities for Farmers and Markets

    Title: “Market Volatility in European Produce: How Quality and Supply Shifts Are Reshaping Prices”

    Title: “Market Volatility in European Produce: How Quality and Supply Shifts Are Reshaping Prices”

  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
    • All
    • Climate
    • Crop protection
    • digital (smart)
    • dron
    • Fertilizer
    • Research
    • weed
    High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

    High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

    EU Pesticide Sales Hit 12-Year Low in 2023: What It Means for Modern Agriculture

    EU Pesticide Sales Hit 12-Year Low in 2023: What It Means for Modern Agriculture

    Why Do Grocers Cover Potatoes at Night? The Science Behind This Curious Practice

    Why Do Grocers Cover Potatoes at Night? The Science Behind This Curious Practice

    Record-Early Potato Planting in 2024: Will It Lead to Higher Yields?

    Record-Early Potato Planting in 2024: Will It Lead to Higher Yields?

    Boosting Farm Efficiency: How Lean Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Altai

    Boosting Farm Efficiency: How Lean Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Altai

    Rising Temperatures Threaten Vegetable Farming in Maharashtra: Challenges and Solutions for Farmers

    Rising Temperatures Threaten Vegetable Farming in Maharashtra: Challenges and Solutions for Farmers

    Boosting Welsh Agriculture: How Organic School Meals Could Transform Farming by 2030

    Boosting Welsh Agriculture: How Organic School Meals Could Transform Farming by 2030

    Farming in Small Spaces: How Bandanaira Prison Is Growing Food and Futures with Polybag Vegetable Cultivation

    Farming in Small Spaces: How Bandanaira Prison Is Growing Food and Futures with Polybag Vegetable Cultivation

    Can Regenerative Agriculture Work for Intensive Vegetable Farming? One Farm’s Journey Toward a Greener Future

    Can Regenerative Agriculture Work for Intensive Vegetable Farming? One Farm’s Journey Toward a Greener Future

  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING
No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
    Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

    Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

    Noonday Onions Defy Early Challenges: Farmers Eye Bumper Crop with Optimism

    Noonday Onions Defy Early Challenges: Farmers Eye Bumper Crop with Optimism

    Why Are Onion Prices Soaring in Bangladesh Despite Peak Harvest? Farmers, Traders, and Market Dynamics Explained

    Why Are Onion Prices Soaring in Bangladesh Despite Peak Harvest? Farmers, Traders, and Market Dynamics Explained

    Almería Dominates Global Pepper Exports: Outshines Netherlands, Morocco, and Turkey in 2024

    Almería Dominates Global Pepper Exports: Outshines Netherlands, Morocco, and Turkey in 2024

    Austrian Carrot Market Update: Early Harvest Insights and Pricing Trends for 2024

    Austrian Carrot Market Update: Early Harvest Insights and Pricing Trends for 2024

    Austrian Onion Market Update: Final 2024 Yellow Onions Sold Out – What’s Next for Farmers and Buyers?

    Austrian Onion Market Update: Final 2024 Yellow Onions Sold Out – What’s Next for Farmers and Buyers?

    Starch Potato Prices Rise in 2024: What Farmers and Agronomists Need to Know

    Starch Potato Prices Rise in 2024: What Farmers and Agronomists Need to Know

    Iceberg Lettuce Glut: Challenges and Opportunities for Farmers and Markets

    Iceberg Lettuce Glut: Challenges and Opportunities for Farmers and Markets

    Title: “Market Volatility in European Produce: How Quality and Supply Shifts Are Reshaping Prices”

    Title: “Market Volatility in European Produce: How Quality and Supply Shifts Are Reshaping Prices”

  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
    • All
    • Climate
    • Crop protection
    • digital (smart)
    • dron
    • Fertilizer
    • Research
    • weed
    High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

    High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

    EU Pesticide Sales Hit 12-Year Low in 2023: What It Means for Modern Agriculture

    EU Pesticide Sales Hit 12-Year Low in 2023: What It Means for Modern Agriculture

    Why Do Grocers Cover Potatoes at Night? The Science Behind This Curious Practice

    Why Do Grocers Cover Potatoes at Night? The Science Behind This Curious Practice

    Record-Early Potato Planting in 2024: Will It Lead to Higher Yields?

    Record-Early Potato Planting in 2024: Will It Lead to Higher Yields?

    Boosting Farm Efficiency: How Lean Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Altai

    Boosting Farm Efficiency: How Lean Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Altai

    Rising Temperatures Threaten Vegetable Farming in Maharashtra: Challenges and Solutions for Farmers

    Rising Temperatures Threaten Vegetable Farming in Maharashtra: Challenges and Solutions for Farmers

    Boosting Welsh Agriculture: How Organic School Meals Could Transform Farming by 2030

    Boosting Welsh Agriculture: How Organic School Meals Could Transform Farming by 2030

    Farming in Small Spaces: How Bandanaira Prison Is Growing Food and Futures with Polybag Vegetable Cultivation

    Farming in Small Spaces: How Bandanaira Prison Is Growing Food and Futures with Polybag Vegetable Cultivation

    Can Regenerative Agriculture Work for Intensive Vegetable Farming? One Farm’s Journey Toward a Greener Future

    Can Regenerative Agriculture Work for Intensive Vegetable Farming? One Farm’s Journey Toward a Greener Future

  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING
No Result
View All Result
Vegetables News
Home AGROTECHNOLOGY

Calibrate sprayers to save money on pesticides

by Tatyana Ivanovich
May 6, 2022
in AGROTECHNOLOGY
0
Calibrate sprayers to save money on pesticides

Pickup trucks need occasional tuneups and oil changes, so it stands to reason that a boom sprayer needs a checkup at least once a year before it’s driven out of the barn and onto fields to spray for pests.

Sprayers should be calibrated to determine the actual rate at which they are applying pesticide, then adjustments can be made, said Erdal Ozkan, a professor and spray technology expert with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Applying too little pesticide might not sufficiently defeat a grower’s crawling and flying enemies, and applying too much wastes money, may damage the crop and increases the odds of contaminating ground water, Ozkan pointed out.

“What people don’t know is that sprayers sometimes aren’t spraying the amount that people think they are,” Ozkan said.

As a sprayer’s nozzles wear out, the rate of flow through them increases, so growers may be applying more pesticide than they need.

“That’s like throwing away $25 for every $100 a grower spends on pesticides. Depending on the cost of the pesticides, the number of acres sprayed and the frequency of application, the money wasted could be in the thousands,” Ozkan said.

This potential waste of money and pesticides can be avoided if sprayers are calibrated, he said.

Before calibrating a boom sprayer, find out if all the nozzles are in good shape and free of any debris or dust. If they are clogged, clean them using a soft brush or wooden toothpick — not a knife or other sharp object. Then, fill the sprayer with water, turn the pump on and check the flow rate of each nozzle, at the desired pressure. Compare the output of each nozzle with the output expected when the nozzle is new at that same pressure. If the difference between the two is less than or greater than 10 percent of the new nozzle output, that nozzle needs to be replaced.

Once all the nozzles have been checked and cleaned or replaced, the sprayer is ready to be calibrated to ensure that it applies the desired amount of pesticide.

Calibrating a boom sprayer is not as difficult as it sounds. Though several methods can be used, Ozkan recommends the following one that he considers to be easier and more practical than most methods:

  1. Fill the sprayer tank at least half full with water.
  2. Run the sprayer, inspect it for leaks and make sure all vital parts function properly.
  3. Measure the distance in inches between the nozzles.
  4. Measure an appropriate travel distance in the field based on this nozzle spacing. The appropriate distances for different nozzle spacings are as follows: 408 feet for a 10-inch spacing; 272 feet for a 15-inch spacing; 204 feet for a 20-inch spacing; 136 feet for a 30-inch spacing; and 102 feet for a 40-inch spacing.
  5. Drive through the measured distance in the field at your normal spraying speed and record the travel time in seconds. Repeat this procedure and average the two time measurements.
  6. With the sprayer parked, run the sprayer at the same pressure level and catch the output from each nozzle in a measuring jar for the travel time required in step 5.
  7. Calculate the average nozzle output by adding the individual outputs and then dividing by the number of nozzles tested. The final average nozzle output in ounces is equal to the application rate in gallons per acre. For example, if you catch an average of 15 ounces from a set of nozzles, the actual application rate of the sprayer is 15 gallons per acre.
  8. Compare the actual application rate with the recommended or intended rate. If the actual rate is more than 5 percent higher or lower than the recommended or intended rate, you must make adjustments in the spray pressure, the travel speed or both. For example, to increase the flow rate, you will need to either slow down or increase the spray pressure. The opposite is true when you need to reduce application rate. As you make these changes, stay within proper and safe operating conditions for the sprayer. Remember, increased pressure will result in increasing the number of small, drift-prone droplets.
  9. Repeat steps 5-8 above until the actual application rate is within a 5 percent difference of the intended rate.

Calibrating a sprayer only once at the beginning of the spraying season is not enough to obtain an accurate application rate that is within 5 percent of the desired application rate. The sprayer should be calibrated whenever a grower goes from one field to another that has different soil conditions and/or topography.

For safety reasons, sprayers should be calibrated using clean water only. Always use protective clothing, gloves and goggles when calibrating sprayers and applying pesticides.

Some may argue that calibration is not needed if the sprayer has an automatic rate controller, which will give the set application rate regardless of changes in the travel speed. That is true only if the electronics in the rate controller are functioning properly, Ozkan pointed out.

The controller determines the speed using a radar gun, rather than measuring the revolutions per minute of the wheel. The rotation speed of a wheel will change depending on the condition of the soil. When the soil is loose or the ground is wet, the wheels can slip, which could lead to an inaccurate measure of the rate at which pesticides are being applied.

For more information about calibrating a sprayer, visit www.go.osu.edu/calibrateyoursprayer.

— Alayna DeMartini, The Ohio State University

Tags: Calibrate
Previous Post

Mooij Agro develops airbag for box storage

Next Post

Could robots replace honeybees as pollinators?

Next Post
Could robots replace honeybees as pollinators?

Could robots replace honeybees as pollinators?

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy of vegetables.news app

© 2020-2024 VEGETABLES NEWS

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING

© 2020-2024 VEGETABLES NEWS