Spray drop size is a critical factor in the performance of any agrochemical solution and is a function of spray solution, nozzle selection, and nozzle operation. Applicators generally select a particular nozzle based on the drop size reported by manufacturers and researchers. Like most population sampling methods, the accurate measurement of spray drop sizing is a function of sampling methodology, accuracy of the measurement, and inferences about a total population from a subset. Studies were conducted to determine the repeatability and accuracy of spray drop size from a standardized set of spray nozzles at three different application technology research laboratories (USDA

With a number of new spray testing laboratories going into operation and each gearing up to measure spray atomization from agricultural spray nozzles using laser diffraction, establishing and following a set of scientific standard procedures is crucial to long-term data generation and standardization across the industry. It has long been recognized that while offering ease of use as compared to other methods, laser diffraction measurements do not account for measurement bias effects due to differential velocities between differing sized spray droplets, and in many cases significantly overestimate the fine droplet portion of the spray. Droplet sizes and velocities were measured for three agricultural flat fan nozzles (8002, 8008, and 6510) each at three spray pressures (138, 276, and 414 kPa) at four downstream distances (15.2, 30.5, 45.7, and 76.2 cm) across a range of concurrent air velocities (0.7-80.5 m/s). At air velocities below 6.7 m/s, large gradients in droplet velocities resulted in overestimation of both the 10% volume diameter (Dv0.1) by more than 10% and the percent volume of the spray less than 100 µm (V<100) was overestimated two-to threefold. The optimal measurement distance to reduce droplet measurement bias to less than 5% was found to be 30.5 cm with a concurrent air velocity of 6.7 m/s for measuring droplet size from ground nozzles. For aerial spray nozzles, the optimal distance was 45.7 cm. Use of these methods provides for more accurate droplet size data for use in efficacy testing and drift assessments, and significantly increases inter-lab reproducibility.

Recent advances in biotechnology have resulted in crops that are tolerant to the synthetic auxin 2,4-D, expanding the weed management versatility of this herbicide. With potential expansions of use, concerns have been raised about the increased risk of herbicide drift, leading to damage to nontarget crops. A field-scale study was conducted with the objective to measure drift deposition and the potential for drift reduction conferred by a proprietary pre-mixture formulation of 2,4-D choline salt plus glyphosate dimethylammonium salt compared to an in-tank mixture of 2,4-D dimethylamine salt plus glyphosate potassium salt. Treatments were made with field-scale spray equipment under typical application conditions in McCook, NE, using three widely used nozzle tips. Deposition was captured in triplicate downwind collector lines and assayed for tracer dye and 2,4-D. In comparison to the in-tank mixture, the pre-mixture formulation exhibited lower downwind depositions when applied through a flat-fan (TeeJet Extended Range; XR) and air induction (TeeJet Air Induction Extended Range; AIXR) nozzles, but not with a pre-orifice (TeeJet TurboTeeJet Induction; TTI) nozzle. Based upon median deposition at 30 m downwind, the pre-mixture formulation reduced drift by 62% and 91%, for the XR and AIXR nozzles, respectively. From a drift reduction perspective, the pre-mixture formulation performance with the AIXR nozzle was equivalent to a much coarser TTI nozzle while still offering sufficient foliar coverage for acceptable weed control.

An increasing number of spray nozzle and agrochemical manufacturers are incorporating droplet size measurements into both research and development. Each laboratory invariably has their own sampling setup and procedures. This is particularly true about measurement distance from the nozzle and concurrent airflow velocities. Both have been shown to significantly impact results from laser diffraction instruments. These differences can be overcome through the use of standardized reference nozzles and relative spray classification categories. Sets of references nozzles, which defined a set of classification category thresholds, were evaluated for droplet size under three concurrent air flow velocities (0.7, 3.1 and 6.7 m/s). There were significant, though numerically small, differences in the droplet size data between identical reference nozzles. The resulting droplet size data were used to categorize a number of additional spray nozzles at multiple pressure and air flow velocities. This was done to determine if similar classifications were given across the different airspeeds. Generally, droplet size classifications agreed for all airspeeds, with the few that did not, only differing by one category. When reporting droplet size data, it is critical that data generated from a set of reference nozzles also be presented as a means of providing a relative frame of reference.

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