Technical update on the rotary atomiser technology - Is it the future of pesticide application?

摘要

Applying plant protection products can be time consuming, especially as, in amenity, we tend to apply products in a high water rate (300-1000 I ha~(-1)). Using a conventional pedestrian sprayer with a 60 litre spray tank to apply a product in 300 I ha~(-1) requires a refill every 2000 m~(-2) or approximately every four greens. This could lead to spending a lot of time measuring pesticides and filling tanks. However, what happens if you could really reduce the water volume? The technology behind spraying equipment is continually re-evaluated and further improved to get the best out of the protection products. STRI has been evaluating the Environmist from R&K Kensett Ltd, which uses rotary atomiser technology to produce low pressure, low volume application (See above). This technology uses a spinning disc to produce optimum sized, evenly distributed droplets. This allows for very even leaf coverage, which is especially important for contact fungicides and products with foliage uptake. The shroud also ensures minimal spray drift, which is important when optimal weather conditions for pesticide application are often few and far between in the UK!