Pesticide Application in Vineyards
(book excerpts)When developing an integrated pest management strategy, it is essential to know the target pests, their economic threshold levels, and multiple control strategies that can minimize pesticide inputs in the vineyard. However, in many cases, pesticides need to be applied as a last resort to reduce pest infestations and optimize grapevine production. The objective in applying pesticides in vineyards is to deliver an effective, uniform dose to a target area in a safe and timely manner. Inaccurate pesticide application is expensive and can result in wasted pesticide, marginal pest control, compromised worker safety, and possibly excessive pesticide carryover contributing to water contamination and/or vine damage. A variety of application equipment is available for applying pesticides. Some types can be used in a wide range of situations, whereas others are highly specialized and are only used for a few specific pesticides.
Click on the following topics for more information on pesticide application in vineyards.
Topics Within This Chapter:
- Sprayer Components
- Tanks
- Agitation System
- Direct Injection Sprayers
- Pumps
- Piston Pumps
- Diaphragm Pumps
- Centrifugal Pumps
- Roller Pumps
- Filtration Devices
- Fans
- Nozzles
- Nozzle Materilals
- Other System Components
- Pressure Regulators
- Pressure Gauges
- Control Valves
- Sensors
- Sprayer Nozzles
- Atomization
- Hydraulic Nozzles
- Air-Shear (Air-assisted) Nozzles
- Controlled Droplet Applicators
- Droplet Size Classification
- Sensors
- Electrostatic Sprayers
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
- Vineyard Sprayers
- Hydraulic Sprayers (Conventional Pressure)
- Air-Assisted Sprayers (Air-Blast, Air-Shear, or Pneumatic)
- Air-Assisted Sprayer Configurations
- Controlled Droplet Applicators
- Sensor-Controlled Applicators
- Electrostatic Sprayers
- Drone Sprayers
- Key Observations of Drone Sprayers
- Pesticide Spray Coverage
- Water Sensitive Cards
- Image Processing Software for Analysis of Droplets
- Minimizing Spray Drift in Vineyards
- Weather Conditions
- Horizontal Wind Speed and Direction
- Temperature and Relative Humidity
- Surface Temperature Inversions
- Equipment Modifications
- Sprayer Design
- Airblast Sprayers with Deflector Plates
- Nozzle Selection
- Spray Pressure
- Nozzle Spray Angle
- Travel Speed
- Distance between the Nozzle and Target
- Drift Reducing Adjuvants
