Effect of protective shields on drift and deposition characteristics of field sprayers

Abstract

Field trials were conducted to determine the effectiveness of shields in reducing off-target droplet drift from ground-rig sprayers. Sprayer booms ranging in width from 10 to 13.5 m and equipped with commercially available shields were operated along a 150-m swath in a field of approximately 20-cm-tall spring wheat in wind speeds ranging from 10 to 35 km h−1. Airborne drift was measured using aspirated air samplers. The use of an 80 flat fan tip (8001) at a pressure of 275 kPa and a ground speed of 8 km h−1 resulted in 7.5% of the 50 L ha−1 spray solution drifting off the target area. The use of protective cones with 8001 tips without lowering the boom reduced airborne drift by 33% at a 20 km h−1 wind speed, while a 65–85% drift reduction was accomplished with the combination of solid or perforated shielding and lowering the sprayer boom. Increasing the application rate to 100 L ha−1 by using 8002 tips reduced drift of the unshielded sprayer by 65%. Decreasing application rate to 15 L ha−1 by using 800017 tips increased drift by 29% despite the use of a shield. Off-target drift increased with increasing wind speeds for all sprayers, but the increase was less for shielded sprayers and coarser sprays. The decreased droplet size of spray from 110 tips increased drift when the boom height was the same as for 80 tips. High wind speeds, lower carrier volumes and finer sprays, 110 tips, and solid shields tended to decrease on-swath deposit uniformity, whereas a perforated shield or cones did not affect deposit uniformity. Key words: 2,4-D amine, droplet drift, aspirated air samplers, flat fan tips, deposition uniformity, droplet size