TOP TIPS TO IMPROVE FUNGICIDE EFFICACY
With sprayers poised to begin fungicide
applications Agrovista technical manager
Mark Hemmant gives his tops tips to
improve fungicide efficacy this spring.
He says: “Paying attention to a few key
application areas such as boom height,
adjuvant use, nozzle type and water
volume can make all the difference
when it comes to how well disease is
controlled.”
NOZZLE TYPE
Mr Hemmant advises using a a standard
110 degree flat fan nozzle.
“Standard 110-degree flat fan nozzles
remain the best option when applying
fungicides to wheat, delivering a good
droplet spectrum that ensures effective
coverage and good penetration at the
usual 100-200 litres/ha rates.
“Flat fans were consistently more
effective when used with triazole/SDHI
treatments in normal spraying conditions,
producing an average yield increase of
0.29t/ha over air induction (AI) nozzles
in five years of trials.
“However, the larger air-filled droplets
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produced by air induction nozzles are less
prone to drift, which is useful in marginal
conditions. This gives operators a much
better chance of maintaining correct
fungicide timings.”
Alternating forward-facing (30-degree)
and vertical nozzles improved flat fan
and AI performance, aiding coverage and
penetration. It also reduces drift, probably
because it allows air to pass through the
spray curtain, reducing the tendency to
create eddies behind it, he adds.
BOOM HEIGHT
Boom height can significantly reduce
fungicide efficacy, and Mr Hemmant
recommends an optimum boom height of
0.5m.
He says: “Apart from bad timing, this
is probably the biggest cause of poor
fungicide performance. The optimum
boom height is 0.5m above the crop.
Doubling it typically increases drift by a
factor of 10 with flat fan nozzles.”
WATER VOLUME
Agrovista trials have shown water
volumes of 100 litres/ha has delivered
better disease control than a water
volume of 200 litres/ha when targeting
yellow rust.
Mr Hemmant adds: “Even under high
disease pressure we saw yields rise by up
to 0.5t/ha. This is partly due to the finer
spray improving coverage and the fact
that each droplet contains more active
ingredient.”
“Halving the water volume also means
less downtime travelling and filling the
sprayer, which can increase work rates by
a third. That means more of the crop can
be treated at the optimum timing.”
Polaris goes racing
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The Polaris WOR Series is sure
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the Scrambler in 2015 and the first
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The Scrambler 1000 also made its
Polaris is known as the industry leader
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