William Waltman, Strahan, Ronald E., Bampasidou, Maria, Holzapfel, Alessandro, Fontenot, Kathryn
Cleaning a sprayer in between uses is very important when farming vegetable crops. Pesticides include insecticides, fungicides, bactericides and herbicides. In many cases, producers may combine several pesticides in a tank and spray at one time. But this is often not the case with herbicides. Optimally, growers will use separate tanks: one for fungicides, bactericides and insecticides and another for herbicides. Even with separate tanks, cleaning between uses is imperative. There are four major categories of herbicides: preemergent (used before weeds emerge), postemergent (used after weeds have sprouted in the field), selective (kills only particular crops), and nonselective (kills all crops). A grower increases their odds of devastation especially when spraying a nonselective herbicide followed by a selective herbicide if proper cleaning between uses does not occur. Even when herbicides are used according to the label, Louisiana vegetable producers can grow over 40 types of crops, and not all crops can be sprayed with the same pesticides. Cleaning the tanks prevents self-caused damage to crops.
When cleaning a pesticide spray tank there are three primary objectives:
1. Reducing the active ingredient to a level that will not damage crops
2. Deactivating the herbicide
3. Removing the pesticide from the sprayer
Damage from an unclean tank can reduce crop yield even if you do not see major symptoms.
The following are spray tank cleaning points of interest:
Note: Clean any portion of the sprayer that may contact the next crop. Think about the boom, nozzles, shields and even tires if you go over a portion of the field twice. |
Always remember that thorough cleaning of your spray equipment can prevent future crop damage and yield loss.
The above is a general set of guidelines for properly cleaning spray tanks. Refer to the product label for specific cleaning instructions.
Additionally, proper calibration of equipment can prevent having too much mixed chemical left over after spraying a field. If you need help calibrating your sprayer, consult pages 120-126 of the 2023 Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook. https://vegetablegrowersnews.com/2023-southeast-vegetable-crop-handbook/
Add the tank cleaner in a 1%-2% solution.
Remember thorough cleaning is key to preventing crop injury.
This material is based upon work supported by the USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2021-70027-34722.
Farm Bureau Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry supported this project through their partnership and contributions.