Boom Sprayer Calibration Read the label, perform maintenance and calibrate application equipment to be sure pesticides are applied correctly.
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prayer calibration is an important step when applying pesticides and should not be overlooked. Lots of different sprayers can be used in agriculture including some common types such as boomless applicators, air blast applicators and handgun applicators. This article will be discussing the process of calibrating a boom sprayer. Determining Pesticides Per Acre Boom sprayers are used to make broadcast applications of pesticides to large areas such as fields. Read the label before applying pesticides. Extension professionals recommend reading the label before purchasing pesticides. The pesticide label is the law, and the applicator should follow label directions. The pesticide label will tell you how much of the pesticide
to apply per acre. The label will also tell the gallons of water needed per acre as recommended by the manufacturer. It is common for a pesticide label to recommend a range of 10 to 40 gallons of water per acre. For boom sprayers, operating pressure, nozzle size and spacing, as well as operating speed determine the volume of water applied per acre. How much pesticide do you put in a tank? First, determine how many gallons of water you are applying per acre, then calculate how much pesticide to add to the tank. For this example, I will use the 1/128 acre method, but other methods could be used. Even though we calibrate a sprayer with only water in the tank, personal protective equipment should be worn.
Sprayer Maintenance: • Check and clean the tips, filter and hoses. • Replace worn out, leaking or nonfunctioning parts. • Test pump to ensure proper functioning.
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THE PEANUT GROWER • JUNE 2022
PEANUTGROWER.COM
