Corteva Agriscience has published a new expert advice video on its website that highlights the importance of good sprayer hygiene and winter maintenance. It also provides best practice guidance for applications with product containing Inatreq active molecule.
Tom Robinson, an independent consultant with more than 30 years’ experience working with operators, presents the film and covers daily best practice advice for washing out sprayers in the field, as well as a workshop section explaining how to inspect and replace wearing parts.
Tom also explains the new guidance issued by Corteva for farmers who plan to use fungicides containing the company’s new Inatreq active molecule in 2023.
Best practice
Good practice starts in the field, and in the video Tom visits Cotswolds farmer Andrew Myatt to see his post-application washout procedure. Viewers can see how Andrew rinses his tank, pump and lines before carrying out a detailed inspection of the induction hopper, pipes and filter.
December and January are traditionally the months during which farms will service their machines to ensure they are fully prepared for busy spring fieldwork. Back in the workshop, Andrew shares how to service his machine’s pump by replacing its diaphragms as well as explaining how chemical residues can cause them to wear, distort and split if not replaced annually.
Nozzle maintenance
Tom then examines the various nozzle systems used on sprayers in the UK and Ireland,
demonstrating the wearing parts inside which need to be replaced regularly to optimise
performance.
Tom said: “It has always been my belief that well-maintained sprayers play a vital role in optimizing the performance of crop protection products. If the machinery is in great condition, it will put the right amount of chemical in the right place at the right time.
“This information will be of use to all operators who want to keep their machines clean and
well maintained, but is of particular interest to those applying fungicides containing Inatreq
active, in 2023.”
Corteva’s best practice guidance for
any product containing Inatreq active
- Products containing Inatreq should ideally be sprayed in a minimum water volume of 200 litres/ha. If lower volumes are used, the spray concentration should not exceed 0.7%.
- Inatreq spray solutions should not be left in the spray tank overnight – follow the recommendations on the label – and operators should thoroughly rinse the sprayer tank, pump and lines at the end of each day’s spraying.
- Inatreq should not be used in sprayers equipped with pulse width modulation (PWM) technology.
- Corteva recommends replacing pump diaphragms annually, ideally with NBR or Blue Flex parts. Abide by the pump manufacturer’s service recommendations.
- For anti-drip diaphragms, EPDM parts are recommended, or operators can modify air shut-off anti-drip valves to use Teflon replacements. If neither of these options are possible, Corteva recommends replacing all existing pneumatic/automated anti- drip diaphragms/pistons with new before spraying products containing Inatreq. It’s important to check these after use too.
- If your sprayer has a Ramsay box, you should replace the diaphragm seal during winter maintenance.
Click HERE for more information, resources and up to date news.
Need NRoSO or BASIS points?
Earn up to 20 points from our online training.
