With dozens of manufacturers producing dozens of different types of spray technology – each with its own nozzle type, flow rate, and pressure setting range – the equipment setup can get pretty complicated. Aerial sprayers also must factor in wind speed, air temperature, flight speed and humidity.
The apps incorporate the latest science of spray technology, including "spray nozzle atomization" models developed by ARS at College Station.
They can be used with a smartphone and accessed from the field or the cabin of a small aircraft. Data also can be saved for later use and e-mailed to colleagues.
One app is designed for ground-based spraying for mosquitoes and other threats to public health.
The other app, for aerial spraying, walks users through the process of adjusting nozzles and settings so pesticides are delivered at optimal droplet sizes. Droplet size is critical in aerial operations to ensure "on-target deposition" and minimize pesticide drift.
The user specifies the nozzle manufacturer from a menu and is steered through a series of screens and prompts that, based on the specific operating conditions, helps him or her select the right size of the nozzle opening, spray pressure, nozzle orientation and airspeed.
The apps are available online through the Apple iTunes App Store and the Google Play Android Marketplace by searching for "Aerial Sprays" for the aerial application app and "Vector Sprays" for the ground-based sprayer app.
Click here to read more about this research in the November/December 2012 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. FG
—From Agricultural Research Service news release
