The effect of environmental factors on nozzle selection

The effect of environmental factors on nozzle selection

Author: | Date: 05 Feb 2025

Take home messages

  • Seek reliable efficacy data that support spray quality and application volumes for each of the products you intend using to plan which sets of nozzles to purchase.
  • Analyse climate data for the location/s where you plan to spray to gain a clear understanding of the available spray windows.
  • Utilise the most current and comparable spray quality data for your nozzle selection, remembering that nozzles can help to mitigate risk, but cannot change hazardous conditions for spraying.
  • Access reliable, real time weather data and forecasts to decide which nozzles to use for each spray job, and when to stop spraying (even if you need to pay for access).

Background

GRDC and industry have invested in research, extension and publications to assist growers and applicators with understanding suitable weather conditions for spraying, and also in tools to assist with nozzle selection.

Environmental factors impacting on nozzle selection include:

  • climate (the range of conditions you expect throughout the cropping cycle)
  • your location within the landscape (sensitive areas, major landforms, coastal effects)
  • weather conditions (before, during and after spraying)
    • precipitation and soil moisture
    • windspeed and wind direction
    • turbulence (the absence of hazardous inversion conditions)
    • temperature and relative humidity.

Accessing and using the available information and tools to make informed spraying decisions is the responsibility of every applicator.

Conclusion

Climate, cropping system and location within the landscape should guide how many sets of nozzles you have. Weather conditions on a given day and the product label/s will dictate which nozzles you should use and when you need to stop spraying.

Useful resources

GRDC standard nozzle selection guides (https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/all-publications/publications/2024/grdc-nozzle-selection-guide)

Weather essentials for pesticide application (https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/all-publications/publications/2022/weather-essentials-for-pesticide-application)

GRDC GrowNotes Spray application manual for grain growers (https://grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/234835/GRDC-GrowNotes_spray-manual-opener_2024.pdf)

Spray drift (https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/resources/spray-drift)

Contact details

Bill Gordon
0429 976 565
billgordonconsulting@outlook.com