The appropriate calibration of sprayers represents an essential element in the endeavor to improve the quality of the distribution of crop protection products in agriculture. Calibration is one of the many steps necessary to reduce in the amount of product lost during the spraying operation. Within the United States one of the only rules regarding sprayer calibration is due to foreign trade. Exporters are required by Global Gap to verify that their pesticide application equipment has been calibrated in the last 12 months by participation in an official scheme or by a qualified individual. In Europe the Machinery Directive (127/2009/EC) requires measures for quality assurance for self certification of sprayers. According to the EU Directive for a Sustainable Use of Pesticides (128/2009/EC), countries are obliged to inspect sprayers in use regularly. The functional checks required are defined in several ISO standards. This poster describes an array of devices that have been developed to conduct sprayer testing according to those ISO standards.

Calibration of crop protection equipment

248th National Meeting (2014)

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