Coverage and droplets: the essentials
Good coverage. It’s essential. Want to get the most out of your applications? The place to start is good coverage and droplet size. It’s important for us, as the crop protection manufacturer, that users of our products to get the most out of them. If we’re not the expert in our own products, how can we expect anyone else to be? As we’ve talked about before, the Art of Application is a fine one.
This is why we run application trials in various countries. Funnily enough, caluna’s in Germany aren’t the same as clematis in the UK. So in the past six months we’ve run application trials in the UK, Germany, Italy and of course The Netherlands. The reason for this extensive and growing network of trials is so we can back ourselves, to give you, the users, solid and balanced advice on applications of our products.
Droplets – the simple part of the story
The concept of droplet size is often communicated in a simplified way such as the below chart to explain the concept of finer droplets = better coverage … but higher levels of drift.
Unfortunately these things are never quite as simple as we’d like them to be… All nozzles will produce a wide range of droplet sizes and you can control the ratios of fine to coarse by:
- Nozzle selection – the smaller the orifice, the smaller the droplet size
- Pressure – the higher the pressure, the smaller the droplet size
So good coverage is down to droplets?
In a word, yes. The Art of Application may be a fine one, but it’s something we as Syngenta have spent decades on. We really do know what we’re talking about when it comes to nozzles & coverage and over the coming weeks you will find out more as we aim to provide you with more technical knowledge and how to get the most out of your applications.
Then why is full coverage important?
As we move into a new and improved time of increasingly legislated plant protectant products and increased awareness of environmental issues, the importance of targeting our spray application exactly where we want to get them is only going to increase. Therefore, a good place to start is to fully understand exactly where you want the product to go. Is it aimed at the:
- Leaf?
- Underside of the leaf?
- Crown of the plant?
- Soil?
On top of this, there is the type of plant the product is being applied to. Some have a dense canopy, some are very thin. The age of the plant will have a large impact on the amount of leaf coverage. The leaf structure will also impact the application.
Ensuring the product hits the target is important for two reasons:
- Maximise the amount of product in the right place to get the best effect
- Minimise the product that misses the target for both environmental and financial reasons.
Basically, it's a checklist. Yet more questions, perhaps you're starting to think that all we do is ask you questions. But really they are questions to ask yourself, things to consider. We don't know the exact ins and outs of your application requirements, but if we can prompt a small thought that improves what you get from our products, we'll be happy that you're happy.
Signed up for BASIS points? Get in touch and we will do the rest.
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