When a pesticide application moves beyond the application site to a place it’s not wanted – known as pesticide drift – it can cause damage to acreages, gardens, and landscape plants. Pesticide drift can occur virtually anywhere – in rural areas, towns, and cities.
Are You Sure It’s Drift?
Increasing sprayer travel speed causes the controller to increase boom pressure (and decrease droplet size). If field conditions have you running behind and your sprayer travel speed has increased 20–25%, consider using one size larger nozzle tip to minimize drift potential.
Bob Hartzler, Department of Agronomy
The number of drift complaints in 2007 regarding ground applications of agricultural pesticides received by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship increased by 36 percent compared to 2006, and was nearly double that of 2004.
The first step in preventing problems with drift is to develop an effective drift management strategy prior to the spray season. Important considerations include:
