Take advantage of technological advancements in pesticide application equipment design, and modify your equipment to improve application efficiency while reducing pesticide waste. Recent developments in pesticide application equipment allow for safer operation and less risk to the applicator and the environment. For example, sprayers with in-line pesticide-injection systems eliminate leftover tank mixtures. With these systems, the pesticide and water are kept in separate tanks (Fig. 5). A separate metering pump feeds the pesticide into the spray line. Any excess water is left in the water tank, and excess pesticide remains in the pesticide tank.
Many new sprayers are equipped with a small tank that holds clean water to rinse out the sprayer tank in the field. Immediately following the application, clean water can be pumped into the large spray tank, and the rinse water can be sprayed over the target field, provided registered rates are not exceeded and application is consistent with label directions.
Research is under way to develop new equipment and methods that will further improve application efficiency. For example, researchers are developing systems that automatically adjust pesticide rates according to the amount of organic matter in the soil. This system operates on the principle that lighter soils, which are low in organic matter, require less pesticide than darker soils.
Some studies indicate that ultra-low volume (ULV) pesticide applications using electrostatic nozzles provide satisfactory insect control at half the rate recommended for conventional spraying. Such techniques mean greater pesticide efficiency and less pesticide consumption, which results in reduced pesticide waste.