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Improving spray application techniques in Flemish greenhouses. P. BRAEKMAN, D. FOQUE & D. NUYTTENS Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO) – Technology & Food – Agricultural Eng., B.V. Gansberghelaan 115, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. INTRODUCTION
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Improving spray application techniques in Flemish greenhouses P. BRAEKMAN, D. FOQUE & D. NUYTTENS Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO) – Technology & Food – Agricultural Eng., B.V. Gansberghelaan 115, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium • INTRODUCTION • Greenhouseplant productions major horticultural activity in Flanders, Belgium • Application technique of plant protection products • traditionally spray lances and guns - recently, pushed by scaling up of companies, spray boom equipment becomes more popular • benefits: automate labour-intensive spray activities, improved uniformity of spray liquid distribution, … • BUT, growers lack knowledge about optimal settings of this type of equipment • EXPERIMENTS • Strawberry and ivy pot plants, comparing spray lance & vertical spray booms RESULTS spray gun spray booms spray gun spray booms spray gun spray booms spray gun spray booms DISCUSION & CONCLUSIONS • Strawberry: effect spray boom technique + nozzle setting ! • highest deposits (inside & contours) using ID & XR nozzles at recommended spray pressure • small-sized XR nozzles used well above recommended pressure range gives LOWER deposits, especially inside crop canopy spray gun spray booms spray gun spray booms • Ivy pot plants: effect spray boom technique + spray volume ! • compared to spray lance, considerable reductions of spray volume and chemicals applied, but … • similar deposition rates on the contours at 5,000 l/ha (- 41% !) • slightly (2,500 l/ha) or significantly (5,000 l/ha) higher deposits at the inner canopy • at high spray volumes, nozzle setting (type, size, spray pressure) barely has an influence on measured deposition rate