The Effect of Nozzle Design on Spray Drift Reduction and Herbicide Efficacy

With the potential commercialization of synthetic auxin-tolerant crops, there is an increased need for understanding of the influence of spray nozzle design and herbicide formulation on physical spray drift reduction. A study was conducted in a low speed wind tunnel utilizing laser diffraction technology to analyze the droplet size spectra produced by different spray nozzles. To correlate these results with the herbicide efficacy of these sprays, a field trial was also conducted. This study compared the efficacy of both a systemic and a contact herbicide when applied through the various nozzles evaluated in the wind tunnel experiment.