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Pedestrian sprayers: equipment for ultra‐low and very‐low volume spraying 1
Author(s) -
MATTHEWS G. A.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
eppo bulletin
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.327
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1365-2338
pISSN - 0250-8052
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2338.1996.tb01534.x
Subject(s) - sprayer , volume (thermodynamics) , environmental science , nozzle , agricultural engineering , automotive engineering , engineering , mechanical engineering , physics , quantum mechanics
Plant protection products often need to be applied to small areas, inaccessible to vehicular equipment, hence the need for manually carried equipment. While there are lever‐operated knapsack and compression sprayers using conventional hydraulic nozzles, reduced‐volume applications have been developed in combination with the use of rotary atomizers to provide a narrow droplet spectrum. Most of the initial development of these hand‐carried battery‐operated spinning disc sprayers was for their use in the semi‐arid tropics to apply insecticides to cotton in the absence of plentiful water supplies. This continues to be the main market for these sprayers, although the trend recently has been away from oil‐based ultra‐low volume formulations to very‐low volume spraying (typically 5‐1 5 litre ha 1 ) of water‐based formulations to reduce costs and allow greater flexibility in choice of insecticide in integrated pest management programmes. Changes in equipment design have been made to suit this change in spray volume and formulation. Air‐assisted sprayers have also been used in glasshouses. Subsequent development of rotary atomizers operated at slower speeds has led to the equipment being used for herbicide application. especially in forestry and urban situations where low weight of equipment and drift reduction have been important considerations. Formulations prepacked in containers to connect directly to the sprayers have been used to reduce operator contamination.