This page shows some of the sprayers referred-to
in the DROPDATA pages. Obviously, we can only show here a very limited
selection of the enormous range of available equipment. However, a large
number of examples are housed at IPARC:
one of the finest collections of portable pesticide application equipment
in existence.
Information is divided up into the principal delivery
systems, where possible giving examples at various operational scales; we have
classified these delivery systems into the following categories:
- Hydraulic
sprayers
Most of the World's pesticides
are mixed with water and sprayed through hydraulic
nozzles: of one sort or another. There are enormous variations in
the scale, the way pumping is achieved and the configurations of atomisers,
but this >100 year old technology is still considered the method
of choice, by most farmers and other spray operators.
Large-scale tractor-mounted and self
propelled equipment.
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Photo GAM
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Side-lever knapsack sprayers
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Pressure retaining knapsack sprayers.
These were designed for mosquito control operations, but may be
used in other situations. Here a farmer is spraying tall cacao
trees, using an extended lance: for which both hands are required...
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Photos: RPB
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...
or here used for pre-emergence herbicide application to rice in
Viet Nam |
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The
tailboom was designed to reduce contamination of cotton spray operators,
and to improve delivery of insecticides to the undersides of leaves. |
Photos RPB
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Sometimes,
hydraulic sprayers are pumped remotely from the atomiser/lance:
as with this hand pump, made by Aspee, India.
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a foot-pump being used to achieve high pressures, and direct a
spray jet into the upper branches of tree crops
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- Motorised
mistblowers
Motorised
mistblowers usually rely on air-shear
atomisation, but they may be supplied (or retro-fitted) with
rotary atomisers.
Motorised
mistblowers were originally developed for spraying pests in tall
trees such as cocoa capsids. This illustration shows the Stihl
SR400 in Costa Rica.
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Mistblowers
have also been used to improve horizontal throw and penetration
into crops. Here, a Kioritz DM9 is being used to apply a fungicide
against rice sheath blight in Viet Nam.
Further
notes and calibration techniques in the
guide to motorised
mistblowers
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- CDA
/ ULV application equipment
top of
page
- Foggers
Suggested
reference nozzle
Thermal
foggers
Rubber
bellows actuation: The PulsFog (Dr. Stahl & Sohn GMBH)
Piston
actuation: Igeba Geratebau GMBH, Germany
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Cold
foggers
(vortical nozzles)
2-stroke
motor version: the Fontan ULV (Motan SwingTec GMBH)
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An
electrical cold fogger: the 'Mini-Nebulo' (Cooper Italiana)
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On
a smaller scale, aerosol dispensers are familiar in domestic
applications, but also used in public health: for example, for
eliminating mosquitoes in aircraft.
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- Granule
application equipment
Granule
application can be as simple as distributing the formulation to
plant bases or central whorls with a (gloved) hand. The use of a
horn seeder, such as the Hudson model illustrated, can aid spreading,
control flow and reduce operator contamination. Granular formulations
are frequently prepared for toxic pesticides: but manual application
equipment is not recommended for poisonous (especially class I)
compounds. |
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Tractor-
mounted coulters for delivery of granules, fertilisers or seeds
in rows. |
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- Application of
dusts
Although
the dusting of crops is becoming less frequent, application equipment
is still available: such as this hand duster, manufactured by Aspee.
Apart from small-holder crops, dusts may be used for treating grain
in stores. They also have a role where application equipment is
unavailable (e.g. small scale grasshopper control). |
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Dusts
(DP formulations) are
extremely small particles, liable to be inhaled and prone to be
carried by the wind. Motorised mistblowers
can also be adapted for application of dusts, but the strong airstream
can create an even greater inhalation risk. The use of microgranule
(MG) formulations can
reduce this risk, but MGs are more expensive than DPs. |
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- Application
to seeds
Seed
treatment represents one of the most efficient means of targeted
application of pesticides. Commercial bulk mechanisms include:
spraying onto conveyer belts, rotating perforated drums, seed
coating (pelleting)and fluidised bed coating. The pedal driven
'Rotosat' shown here is especially suitable for introducing the
concept of seed treatment into remote areas.
The
selective use of seed treatments can protect seeds from early-season
disease and insect pests affecting crop emergence and growth.
Occasionally, seed treatments can be used to stimulate production
over a longer term, using biological agents such as biopesticides
and Rhizobium spp. (for nitrogen fixing).
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