Understanding Aagrochemical Spray Behaviour

Experts from The Arable Group (TAG) are using a Spraytec droplet size
analyser from Malvern Instruments in work to improve the understanding of agrochemical spray behaviour. Since droplet size influences spray drift, run-off and plant uptake, it is a key parameter in understanding the impact of pesticide use and in predicting the deposition patterns associated with different spray systems. Spraytec offers the robust operation and rapid data acquisition speeds needed for the reliable measurement of wide spray plumes and is being used to measure droplet size distributions in real-time during spraying.

The work at TAG is contributing to the safe and effective use of agrochemicals. “Over the last 20 years, the TAG Spray Application Unit
at Silsoe has become an internationally important facility for the investigation of spray application systems, in particular for agricultural pesticides,” said Professor Paul Miller at TAG. “Spraytec is an easy-to-use tool that is integral to our work, providing us with significant insight into spray behaviour.” In an extension of its operation, TAG now offers spray characterisation consultancy across many different industry sectors, applying spray systems expertise to a range of different applications. The organisation is home to one of the most sophisticated wind tunnels in the world, which is used for the study of spray drift. As well as the Spraytec, a wide range of analytical instrumentation is used to comprehensively characterise different spray systems.

Spraytec measures sprays with particles in the size range 0.1 to 2000 microns. Its exceptionally fast data acquisition rate allows the real-time capture of atomisation dynamics in fine detail. Thanks to flexible intuitive software, users can view the evolution of droplet size as a function of time throughout the spray event, enabling a complete understanding of different atomisation process.