Getting it Right with Nutrient and Pesticide Applications

1
Getting it Right with Nutrient and Pesticide
Applications

• Misapplication of pesticides and nutrients pose a
  potential threat to the environment and human
  health.
• Misapplication of pesticides and nutrients cause
  a financial loss in the form of
• poor pest control
• lost nutrients and pesticides
• crops/plant damage

2
Sprayer Calibration
Pesticide Applicator Core Training Manual Part B,
Chapter 5

• A Groundwater Protection Practice

3
Sprayer Calibration
Program developed by Michigan State University
Extension Groundwater Team R.L. Dow, M.C. Gould,
H.D. Rouget, S.A. Stuby Updates By Lyndon Kelley,
February-2004 To compliment the Pesticide
Applicator Core Training Manual, E-2195 written
by the Pesticide Education Program
4

• Impacts of Nitrogen

• Nitrogen in the form of nitrate move easily
• with water
• Nitrates in groundwater have been linked with
• methemoglobinaemia (Blue Baby Syndrome)
• In most aquatic environments nitrogen is not a
• limiting factor for plant growth.
• Most of the nitrogen entering aquatic
• environment will volatilize or be used by
• microorganisms

(MSUE Bulletin WQ-12, Vitosh 1990)
Nitrogen is a major threat to groundwater
quality, but not to surface water quality
5

• Impacts of Phosphorus

• Phosphorus is the limiting nutrient for plant
• growth in most aquatic environments
• Oxygen depletion often results from the seasonal
• decay of excess aquatic plant material
• Most forms of livestock manure have less
• nitrogen concentration than phosphorus
• Most crops remove three times more nitrogen
• than phosphorus
• Phosphorus binds tightly to soil and does not
• move toward groundwater except for extreme
• situations
• No known negative impacts of phosphorus in
• groundwater

(MSUE Bulletin WQ-12, Vitosh 1990)
Phosphorus is a major threat to surface water
quality, but not to groundwater quality
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• Impacts of Misapplied Pesticides

• Several pesticides have been identified as
  groundwater water contaminates in Michigan
• alachor - Lasso
• Atrazine
• Cyanazine
• Dicamba - Banvil
• Dichloropropane
• Dinoseb
• Diphenamid
• Hexazinone
• Metolachor
• Metribuxin
• Prometom
• Propazine
• simazine

Misapplied pesticides may contaminate
groundwater.
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• Surface water impacts of misapplied pesticides

Misapplied pesticides may contaminate surface
water creating a health and economic risk.
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Today were covering
Calibration of equipment - How much is
the system applying? Uniformity
check of equipment - Is the amount
applied, even? Avoiding mistakes -
techniques for reducing the
potential of mistakes
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Types of Fertilizer / Pesticide Application
Pesticide applications Broadcast
In-furrow Fertilizer applications Starter
Sidedress Broadcast
Fertigation
Manure application Broadcast Direct
injection
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Fertilizer / Pesticide applications goals

• Apply desired rate
• volume applied is what is desired
• nutrient or pesticide active ingredient
  level is what is desired

• Uniform application
• uniform across the width of
• the applicator
• uniform from one end of the
• field/ yard to the other (start
• to finish)

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Calibration As Easy As 1-2-3

• 1 Nozzle - Flow Rate
• 2 Ground Speed
• 3 Nozzle or Band Width

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Why calibrate?

• Maximizes value of pesticide/fertilizer
• Insures legal/label rates
• Minimizes crop/plant injury
• Minimizes pest control failure

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When to calibrate?

• Each time major sprayer or applicator adjustments
  are made (nozzle, pressure or speed)
• Change product applied
• Change tractors or
• applicator
• A minimum of once
• a year

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Calibration Equipment

• Collection containers with graduated measurements
• Calculator
• Notepad and writing instrument
• Stopwatch or wristwatch with second hand
• Calibration formulas and a current nozzle
  manufacturers spray guide matching your nozzles

15
Calibration Equipment

• Nozzle tip cleaning brush
• One new tip matched to other nozzles on sprayer
• Catch pans for granular materials.
• Colored marker flags or rags
• Unlined, chemical-resistant gloves

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Information to Record

• Nozzle type/number - Are they all the same?
• Nozzle spacing on boom
• Expected and measured sprayer speed
• Pressure at the sprayer pressure at boom
• Boom height from target
• Expected output
• (manufacturers)
• Measured output

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Methods for Calibration
OuncesGallons Method
Timed-flow Method
Tank Volume Method
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Sprayer Calibration Considerations

• Are all nozzles alike?
• Check for blockage of the nozzle screen
• Check the seating of the ball check valve
• Check for hose leaks or kinks

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Timed Flow Method

• 1 Select nozzle type based on
• Method of application
• Field conditions
• Pesticide product
• Sprayer pressure
• Risk of potential drift
• 2 Select nozzle tip (size)
• Nozzle tip based on gallons per minute
• GPM based on gpa, mph, width

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Timed Flow Method

• 3 Solve the GPM equation

GPM gpa x mph x width
5940
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Timed Flow Method
gallon per acre x mile per hour x
width --------------------------------------------
---- 5,940
Gallon per minute

• Nozzle type selected 65 degree flat fan
• Determine parameters
• - Gallons per acre (gpa) 12 gpa
• - Mile per hour (speed) 5 mph
• - Nozzle spacing 20 inches
• 3. Solve for gpm

12 gpa x 5 mph x 20 inches ----------------------
------ 5940
1200 ------ 0.2gpm 5940
GPM
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Timed Flow Method

• 4 Refer to manufacturers chart for nozzle
• type which delivers GPM calculated in step
  3
• 5 Test for uniform flow rate from each
• nozzle
• Use water collect from nozzle for one minute
  check within 5
• Any nozzle discharge gt10 percent of catalog
  specifications at a given pressure is worn out

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Timed Flow Method

• 6 Confirm actual speed of equipment
• Measure off distance (e.g. 100 feet)
• Travel distance at chosen operating speed
• (pump running to operating pressure)
• Record time required

Speed (mph) Distance (feet) x 60
Time (seconds) x 88
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Ounces Gallons Method

• Before you begin
• Check nozzles for uniformity 5 percent
• Check pressure gauges at tractor
• Check that pressure is consistent with nozzle
  recommendations

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Ounces Gallons Method

• 1 Determine inches between nozzles or
• band width in inches
• 2 Find corresponding calibration distance in
• chart
• 3 Mark off distance in field
• 4 Fasten one quart container on one
• nozzle to catch discharge..Orclock the
  travel time.

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Calibration Distances
Ounces Gallons Method
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Ounces Gallons Method

• 5 Run the course at operating speed,
• turning sprayer ON at beginning and
• OFF at end of course
• 6 Measure liquid collected (repeat and
• average output)
• 7 Ounces collected gallons per acre

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Tank - Volume Method

• Before you begin calibration Check nozzles for
  uniformity 5
• 1 Measure course 660 feet long in field
• 2 Fill spray tank to known depth
• (or switch to a calibration tube)
• . Run the course at operating speed,
• turning sprayer ON at beginning and
• OFF at end of course

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Tank - Volume Method
4 Measure number of gallons required to re-fill
tank to same level as step 2 (or
read volume removed from calibration tube) 5
Use formula to calculate rate applied
Volume used (gallons) x 43,560 ------------------
----------------------- square feet covered
Rate/acre
(gallon /acre)

• 6 If rate needs adjusting, change nozzle, speed
  or
• pressure
• 7 If changes made, run test again

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Sprayer Calibration Making Adjustments

• Increase volume/acre
• Decrease ground speed
• Increase operating pressure
• Increase nozzle size

• Decrease volume / acre
• Increase ground speed
• Decrease operating pressure
• Decrease nozzle size

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Field Information Considerations

• Are the number of acres in a field accurate?
• Is the applicator / sprayer spacing correct?
• Do you keep accurate
• pesticide application
• records?

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Dry Applicator/ Spreader Considerations

• Check for application width varying with speed
• (choose speed that can be maintained)
• Check for required overlap
• (designed over lap maybe from 0-50)
• Check for suggested spreading width
• (40ft. 16 rows 3010ft 20 lawn
  spreader)
• Check for leaks and holes in tank

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Dry Applicator/Spreader Calibration

• Carefully read and follow directions for
  adjusting opening/flow.
• Double check the products density and the use of
  the applicable chart.

Lawn and Garden

• Small, one time applications
• calculate volume needed
• Adjust machine for ½ of the rate desired
• Cover are once
• Make appropriate changes in flow and application
  pattern
• Cover the area again with the remaining product.

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Dry Applicator/Spreader Calibration

• Carefully read and follow directions for
  adjusting opening/flow.
• Double check the products density and the use of
  the applicable chart.

Ag spreaders

• Adjust machine for rate desired area
• With the pto off collect 1/1000 acre of flow
• Calculate to find rate applied.
• Make appropriate changes in flow
• Check uniform application using cookie sheets
• Adjust pass width to increase uniformity

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Avoiding Mistakes - techniques for
reducing the potential of mistakes
Proof your work when beginning . Monitor acres
covered to detect changes.
Johns sprayer holds 500 gallons John wants to
apply at a rate of 20 gal./acre How many acres
should John cover per tank full?
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- Check your answers/proof your work Did the
proportion of the volume used correlate with acre
the should have been covered?
Johns sprayer holds 500 gallons John calibrated
to apply at a rate of 20 gal./acre John sprayed
10 acres since he last filled John has 200
gallons left in the sprayer Is Johns
application under ,over or right on the mark?
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Johns sprayer holds 500 gallons John calibrated
to apply at a rate of 20 gal./acre John sprayed
10 acres since he last filled John has 200
gallons left in the sprayer Is Johns
application under ,over or right on the mark?
500 gallons / 20 gal./acre 25 acres 10 acres
20 gal./acre 200 gallons 500 gallons - 200
gallons should have 300 gallons left 300
gallons gt 200 gallons John is over applying
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• Avoiding Mistakes
• - techniques for reducing the
  potential of mistakes
• Layout a plan for each field/yard application.
• Total area to be applied to
• Total volume of product needed
• Total amount of water needed
• Calculate portion tank or number of tanks

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Avoiding Mistakes Make a plan
compare your work to the plan
Smith farm east field 80 acres Tank holds 400
gallons Application rate 20 gal/acre 4 tank full
(1,600 gal) to cover the field SprayMax
(product) applied at 1.5 qt/acre Ammonium sulfate
applied at 17.5 lb/100 gallons SprayMax total
need - 30 gallons Ammonium sulfate total need
280 lbs Each tank SprayMax - 7.5
gallons Ammonium sulfate - 70 lbs
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Avoiding Mistakes Make a plan
compare your work to the plan
Front Lawn 330 Ft. x 330 108,900 sq.ft.
Spreader holds 40 lbs. Application rate 1 lbs.
/ 1000 sq.ft. 1 lbs. / 1000 sq.ft. 108,900
sq.ft. 109 lbs. How many time will he need to
fill 109 / 40 2.73 hoppers full Each hopper
will cover 40,000 sq.ft.
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Avoiding Mistakes - techniques for
reducing the potential of mistakes How many
field passes per tank full ?
24 row applicator x 2.5 ft/row 60ft. Field
length 2600 ft. 20 acre /tank
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Avoiding Mistakes - techniques for
reducing the potential of mistakes
24 row applicator x 2.5 ft/row 60ft. Field
length 2600 ft. 60ft. X 2600 ft. 156,000 ft
sq. /43,560 ft sq. 3.6 acre/ pass 400
gallon/20 acre 20 acre /tank 20 acre / 3.6 acre
5.6 passes /tank full
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Avoiding Mistakes techniques for reducing
mistakes Calculate coverage per fill
10ft. coverage per applicator pass Lawn length
330 ft. Desired rate 5 lbs. / 1000 square feet.
Spreader tank capacity 40 lbs.
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Avoiding Mistakes techniques for reducing
mistakes Calculate coverage per fill
10ft. coverage per applicator pass Lawn length
330 ft. ( 10 acre House lot ) Desired rate 5
lbs. / 1000 square feet. Spreader tank capacity
40 lbs. 10ft.width 330 ft. length 3,300
square feet/pass 40 lbs. / 5 lbs. 8,000 square
feet /hopper full 8,000 sq.ft. / 3,300 sq.ft.
2.4 passes / hopper full
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In conclusion...

• Application calibration
• protects groundwater
• results in increased income / better performance
• should be done at least once a year
• Be sure application is uniform
• Gather calibration equipment and use it !!!
• Create a plan before you start
• Check your status with the plan as you go.
• If the Applicator / sprayer output is not what it
  is supposed to be, check for problems
• Make corrections !!!