Pesticide application equipment

Abstract

The purpose of pesticide application equipment is to enable uniform application of plant protection products (pesticides) to a specific target area, while minimizing the exposure of persons applying plant protection products. This can be achieved if the equipment are used only for the tasks for which they are intended and if they are properly set up, calibrated and maintained. A typical sprayer consists of a tank, pump, mixing system, supply pipes, control and monitoring unit and nozzles. In order to reduce drift, a nozzle must be selected that will provide the largest droplet size while at the same time adequately covering the treated object at a certain application rate. All elements and assemblies on the sprayer must be in good condition in order to ensure a good horizontal distribution of plant protection products. In the case of pesticide application machines, the technical correctness of all components is checked and their calibration is performed. Calibration is the process of measuring and adjusting the amount of plant protection product applied to the target area with specific plant protection product application equipment. Proper calibration is a basic but often overlooked task. What is crucial is that the right amount of plant protection products should be used. Insufficient plant protection products can result in inadequate control and thus waste of money, time and resources. Applying larger amounts of plant protection products than recommended may result in damage to crops or plantations, higher amounts of plant protection product residues, swelling or other movement outside the target area, poisoning of people, pets or wild animals entering the treated area, and lawsuits and penalties.