CONEX_SAP.

Proper maintenance and cleaning are important to keep foreign materials out of the sprayer. These materials can clog nozzles and damage the pump and other sprayer

components. Thoroughly clean spray equipment to prevent injury to crops susceptible to a previously applied pesticide. Some pesticides will cause equipment to deteriorate if they remain in the sprayer for an extended period of time. The Example (Dry Formulation): An atrazine

recommendation calls for 1½ pounds of active ingredient per acre (lb a.i./A). You have purchased AAtrex 90DF (90 percent dry flowable). Your sprayer has a 400-gallon tank and is calibrated to apply 20 gallons per acre. How much AAtrex should you add to the spray tank?

Step 1. Determine the number of acres you can spray with each tankful.

tank capacity (gallons per tank) = 400 spray rate (gallons per acre) = 20

= 20 acres per tankful

Step 2. Determine the number of pounds of pesticide product needed per acre. Since not all of the atrazine in the bag is an active ingredient, you will obviously have to add more than 1½ pounds of the product to each “acre’s worth” of water in your tank. To determine how much more, divide the percentage of active ingredient (in this case, 90) into the total (100).

1½ lb a.i./A× 100% = 1½×1.11 = 1.66 pounds of

90% product per acre

For each “acre’s worth” of water in the tank, you will need 1.66 pounds of product to apply 1½ pounds of active ingredient per acre.

Step 3. Determine the amount of pesticide to add to each tankful. With each tankful you will cover 20 acres (Step 1), and you want to apply 1.66 pounds of product per acre (Step 2).

20 A×1.66 lb/A = 33.3 pounds of product per tankful

Example (Liquid Formulation): A trifluralin recommendation calls for 1 pound of active

ingredient per acre. You have purchased Treflan 4E (4 pounds per gallon formulation). Your sprayer has a 500-gallon tank and is calibrated to deliver 20 GPA. How much Treflan should you add to the spray tank? Step 1. Determine the number of acres that you can spray with each tankful.

tank capacity (gallons per tank) = 500 spray rate (gallons per acre) = 20

= 25 acres per tankful

Step 2. To determine the amount of product needed per acre, divide the recommended amount of active ingredient per acre by the concentration of the formulation. _{1 lb a.i./A = ¼ gallon per acre}

4 lb a.i./gal.

Step 3. Determine the amount of pesticide to add to each tankful. You will cover 25 acres with each tankful (Step 1), and want to apply ¼ gallon (1 quart) of product per acre (Step 2).

25 A×1 qt/A = 25 quarts (6.25 gallons)of Treflan per tankful Example (Adjuvant): It is often recommended that a small amount of an adjuvant, such as a spreader-sticker or a surfactant, be added to the chemical you plan to spray. The amount to be added is frequently given as percent concentration.

If you use an adjuvant at ½-percent concentration by volume, how much should you add to a 500-gallon tank? Solution 1:

1 percent of 100 gallons = 1 gallon (100×0.01 = 1) ½ percent of 100 gallons = ½ gallon

You will need ½ gallon for 100 gallons, or 2½ gallons for 500 gallons (½×5 = 2½).

Solution 2: ½ percent = 0.5 percent = 0.5 = 0.005 100

0.005×500 gallons = 2.5 gallons of adjuvant per 500-gallon tank

Equipment and

Calibration for

Commercial Field

Crop Applications

following practices will help you maintain and clean your spray equipment properly.

1. Use only water that appears clean enough to drink. Small particles often found in water from ditches, ponds, or lakes can clog nozzles and strainers. If you are in doubt, filter the water as you fill the tank.

2. Check and clean strainers daily. Partially plugged strainers will create a pressure drop and reduce the nozzle flow rate. Most sprayers have three different strainers: one on the suction hose to protect the pump, another in the line between the pump and the boom, and a third, which has the smallest openings, in the nozzle body.

3. Do not use a metal object for cleaning nozzles. Metal objects will destroy the orifice. When a nozzle becomes clogged, always remove it for cleaning.

4. Flush a new sprayer before using. A new sprayer invariably contains metal chips and dirt from the manufacturing process. Remove the nozzles and strainers. Then flush the sprayer and boom with clean water. Thoroughly clean each nozzle before reinstalling.

5. Clean your sprayer according to the type of pesticide formulation used. Residues from some formulations are more difficult to remove from the tank. To remove residues of oil-based herbicides, such as esters of 2,4-D and similar materials, rinse the sprayer with kerosene, diesel fuel, or a comparable light oil. Do not use gasoline.

After rinsing the equipment with oil or a water detergent solution, fill the tank

one-quarter to one-half full with a water-ammonia solution (1 quart of household ammonia to 25 gallons of water) or a water-trisodium phosphate (TSP) solution (1 cup TSP to 25 gallons of water). Circulate the solution through the system for a few minutes, allowing a small amount to pass through the nozzles. Let the remainder of the solution stand at least six hours; then pump it through the nozzles. Remove the nozzles and strainers and flush the system twice with clean water. Equipment in which wettable powders, amine forms, or water-soluble liquids have been used should be thoroughly rinsed with a water-detergent solution (2 pounds of detergent to 30 to 40 gallons of water). Water- soluble materials should be treated as water-soluble liquids. Allow the water-detergent solution to circulate through the system for several minutes. Remove the nozzles and strainers, and flush the system twice with clean water.

6. When it is time to store your sprayer, add 1 to 5 gallons of lightweight oil, depending on the size of your tank, before the final flushing. As water is pumped from the sprayer, the oil will leave a protective coating inside the tank, pump, and plumbing. To prevent corrosion, remove the nozzle tips and strainers, dry them, and store in a can of light oil, such as diesel fuel or kerosene.

Equipment and

Calibration for

Commercial Field

Crop Applications

7. Corrosive fertilizer solutions should not be used in certain sprayers. Liquid fertilizers are corrosive to copper, galvanized surfaces, brass, bronze, and steel. You can irreparably damage an ordinary sprayer after one use with a liquid fertilizer. Use sprayers made completely of stainless steel or aluminum for applying liquid fertilizers. Aluminum is satisfactory for some nitrogen fertilizers, but not for mixed fertilizers.