Reducing off-target spray drift is necessary for sustainable pesticide use in agriculture. Keeping applications on target can reduce buffer requirements, protect sensitive non-target species, and improve efficacy. Many drift reduction technologies (DRT) have been tested, including improved nozzle designs, tank mix adjuvants, and various sprayer modifications, many of which successfully reduce off-target spray drift. Few DRTs match the effectiveness of hooded sprayers, which act as a physical barrier to contain finer droplets and separate spray from exogenous forces that drive horizontal movement, such as wind and turbulence due to the forward momentum of the sprayer. In 2017, Stone Environmental and Bayer Crop Science conducted spray drift deposition studies on bare ground using a hooded sprayer with three different spray nozzles (TTI, AIXR, TT) at two wind speed ranges (&lt;10 mph and &gt;10 mph). Results from these studies demonstrate that downwind deposition is markedly less than the required buffer distance for the test substance. In 2021, additional studies were completed on post-emergent cotton and soybean fields to determine if similar off-target drift reduction could be achieved using hooded sprayers during over the top (OTT) crop applications when there is a higher boom height and greater potential for airflow to influence horizontal movement of spray droplets. Results from the OTT studies show off-target deposition at marginally further distances than in the bare ground study, but still markedly less than the required buffer distance. This presentation will focus on comparing hooded sprayer off-target drift deposition to that made with conventional ground spray boom equipment.

Off-target drift reduction efficacy of hooded sprayers for pre- and post-emergent applications

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ACS Fall 2022

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