Spray application manual
31 January 2025
Module 1: Planning for spray application
1.1: Importance of planning for spray operations
Published 24 January 2025 | Last updated 20 January 2025
Pesticide application can be a complex operation that requires knowledge of the weather, mechanics, logistics, chemistry and biology, as well as effective communication skills and good technique.
Successful spray operators plan and review all inputs and outcomes to maximise use of the products purchased, while at the same time doing everything possible to reduce the risks and hazards associated with that use.
Planning successful spraying operations often requires research and consultation, but the benefit of good plans is that they can save a lot of time, money and effort in the long run.
All plans require knowledge of your starting point. If you are looking to make improvements to your spraying operations, you need to have a clear idea of what you hope to achieve, the steps you need to take to get there, and most importantly, know when you have reached your goal. For any plan it is important to identify what success would look like – spraying is no different.
Whether you are performing a single spray operation, upgrading your sprayer or undertaking a major change to your farming system, there are always several steps to take before you get to where you want to be.
Spray Application GROWNOTES™: Introduction
2 March 2017An introduction to the Spray Application Manual by Bill Gordon. This video if from GRDC's series Spray Application GROWNOTES™ series.
Bill Gordon: In this introductory chapter to the GRDC funded application manual, we'll be talking about that the modules that are included in there so going through some of the different topics that will be covered, including aspects of planning for spraying operations, the operations themselves, the different types of spray systems available and how they work. So throughout the e-book you'll get good technical content on each subject area but we'll also provide short tips and there'll be pop-up video such as this one for you to look at.
Know your starting point – what is your current capacity?
Successful spraying is about placing the correct dose of chemical in the right place at the right time. It can involve several parties providing information on any component of the process, although ultimately relies on the spray operator to achieve a successful result.
Timing is one of the most important factors in achieving the best possible spray outcome and planning allows the operator to be efficient throughout the process.
If we want to improve our ability to get the spray out on time we should consider what our current capacity is, how long we have to get the best results from each product and how much time it takes to cover the amount of country we have.
Knowing our starting point helps to identify areas where we may be able to improve.
An introduction to spraying operations
2 March 2017Spraying is a major part of modern farming operations so thinking and planning should be given a whole of farm approach. This video is an introduction...
Bill Gordon: Spraying is large part of modern farming operations. When we're planning for spraying we need to think firstly at the whole farm level. So we need to consider things such as rotation of chemicals making sure that the products we're using last as long as they possibly can, also considering things like sensitive areas making sure that we're protecting those.
One of the key things we need to consider is making sure that every job is as effective as it can be. What that means for a lot of growers being able to plan right down at the paddock level. One of the things we can do to make sure that each job is as effective as it can be is firstly consider the mixing and filling operations.
Prepare a mixing plan which tells you what you're going to mix, the mixing order and make sure that it's loaded into the machine correctly. The second thing we can do is prepare a spray plan which highlights things like the nozzles we're using, controller settings and the things we should be looking at while we're spraying and make sure the job is going as well as it possibly can.
Once we've made all those plans and put things into place it's really important to keep good records of what you've done. This allows us to check back over time and improve our management.
Establish a starting point
Ask yourself some questions to help establish a starting point for your spray operation.
What products do I use and how do they need to be applied?
How can I make the products I use more effective?
What equipment or set-up(s) do I need to apply to those products?
How many hectares per hour/day can I spray?
How long does it take to complete most spraying operations?
How long do I have to get the products out (before they are less effective)?
How much time do I spend out of the paddock (filling, mixing, or on maintenance)?
How do I manage the weather conditions and sensitive areas?
How much does it cost to operate the sprayer?
What can I do to reduce the need for spraying (rotations, crop competition, cultivation, green manure crops, utilising residual herbicides in place of multiple knockdown applications)?