Better Droplets, Better Results: The New Rules of Spray Application
Human ingenuity and economic conditions are the most typical drivers for innovation in any industry, but regulations and environmental concerns are also important for propelling advances in agribusiness technology. Even under the hands-off approach of many officials in the new Trump era, some manufacturers say new laws and rules are influencing how nozzles are being developed.
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According to Spray Application Technology Lead Debora Latorre at TeeJet Technologies, EPA is increasingly influential on product design through the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). “A major current driver is EPA’s evolving ESA compliance strategy, which focuses on reducing off-target pesticide movement — especially spray drift and runoff — to protect threatened and endangered species,” Latorre says. “These strategies are not regulations by themselves but are being implemented through pesticide label requirements.”
As a result, adds Latorre, applicators are beginning to see new label language that includes mandatory spray drift mitigation measures. This includes required buffer zones, drift-reducing technologies, and specified droplet size classifications.
Nicholas Fleitz, Agronomist at Pentair Hypro, concurs.
“There are standards governing spray nozzle designs and performance to ensure nozzles meet standards of quality and reliable performance,” Fleitz says. “There are also various regulatory requirements enacted by governmental agencies that may direct applicators toward certain nozzle types, most often nozzles with greater focus on drift reduction. Many nozzles introduced to the market over the past decade have included moderate to high focus on drift reduction for the application of post-emergence herbicides.”
Sustainability is another important driver of design changes, he adds.
“One of the primary recent developments driving nozzle innovation has been the proliferation of targeted spot spray technology,” Freitz says. “This technology can provide significant reductions in the amount of pesticides applied, but in order to fully realize the full potential of chemical savings, special characteristics in spray nozzles need to be present. New nozzle designs to optimize performance in these targeted spot spray systems may include narrow spray angles, rapid pattern formation, droplet velocity, and inclined spray patterns.”
More Targeted Spraying
Pesticides have additional complications of potential adverse health or environmental effects that make precision even more crucial for their use. So, manufacturers are dedicated to producing applicator nozzles that limit product drift while targeting pests and weeds.
“Several key advances in spray tips and spray system technology have significantly improved application efficiency, primarily by enhancing droplet control, reducing drift, and enabling more precise product placement,” TeeJet’s Latorre says.
One of the most impactful developments, she adds, has been the adoption of drift-reduction nozzle technologies, particularly pre-orifice and air-induction (Venturi) designs.
“These technologies produce larger droplets with fewer driftable fines, allowing more of the applied product to reach the intended target,” Latorre says. “Air-induction nozzles, for example, can reduce driftable fines by up to 80% (droplets smaller than 150 microns) compared to conventional flat-fan spray tips, improving both efficacy and environmental stewardship.”
With these nozzles, it’s the pressure that determines the force and droplet size of the spray that emerges from them. But a newer technology, pulse width management (PWM), allows applicators to maintain consistent operating speed by using pulsating solenoid valves to control the flow rate and droplet size. Many retailers and growers are embracing this new technology, but it may not be the best choice for all scenarios.
“We anticipate PWM technology continuing to grow in the future,” says Ethan Bartel at Wilger. “PWM systems allow the applicator to make pressure a tool instead of a factor to work around in rate controllers. Air induction nozzles do not work well in PWM systems as the air hole creates problems with creating a full pattern. Closed chamber flat fan nozzles give the best results in a PWM system.”
In some cases, there may be a workaround for those who prefer using this kind of nozzle.
“Historically, the industry recommendation has been to not use air induction nozzles with PWM,” Pentair Hypro’s Fleitz says. “However, with the growing adoption of PWM technology, many nozzle manufacturers have conducted testing of their respective air induction nozzle portfolio for use with PWM. What we’ve found is more nuanced than a blanket statement against using any air induction nozzles with PWM. Some air induction nozzles can pair well with PWM, while others should not be paired with PWM.”
Clay deGruy, Technical Sales Specialist at Greenleaf Technologies, says consistent application of products across fields may be the technology’s largest advantage.
“Maybe the biggest benefit of having a PWM system on a sprayer is turn compensation,” says deGruy. “When a conventional sprayer makes a turn, the outside of the boom will be moving at a much greater speed than the section directly behind the sprayer. This variation in speed will cause under or over application across the boom, most notably at both ends of the boom. On a PWM sprayer, each individual nozzle body is controlled by a solenoid that can alter its duty cycle to compensate for this speed variation, giving a much more uniform application across the entirety of the boom.”
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