New 90% drift reduction nozzle technology, a further development of the highly popular 3D, promises to help operators better balance the demands of improving application efficacy while also minimising environmental loss.
With the launch of its new 3D90 nozzle, Syngenta says it is providing operators with a better choice for all autumn pre-em herbicide applications, along with future in-crop treatments.
According to Syngenta application specialist, Harry Fordham, the new Syngenta 3D90 design combines the proven performance of the renowned 3D Nozzle, with the benefits of completely new 90% drift reduction technology (DRT).
This latest development builds on the long-term collaborative initiative between Syngenta application specialists and technology engineers, Hypro Pentair, who together have pioneered recent nozzle developments. Fully compatible with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) systems, the 3D90’s design incorporates an integral SnapLock Cap, which makes it easy to fit onto any sprayer.
Better blackgrass control
In field trials at the Syngenta Barton Blackgrass Innovation Centre, the 3D90 delivered a 2.5% improvement in blackgrass control – equating to over 150 plants/m2 – compared with conventional low drift nozzles. The 3D90 also performed 9% better than the existing 3D Nozzle at 200 litres/ha.
“Avoiding drift keeps all the product on target and in the crop, as well as mitigating the effects of wind gusts that can disrupt the spray pattern during application. The intention of the 3D90 design is to achieve the most even distribution across the whole target area,” explains Harry.
In practice, he advocates the 3D90 is particularly suitable for pre-emergence applications, where thermal inversion over bare soil can lead to excessive drift of fine droplets without the energy or inertia reach the ground.
Droplet spectrum
Optimising the angle of spray to best deliver the nozzle’s specific droplet spectrum was one of the key complexities in the development process. “The speed and velocity of droplets produced by the 3D90 require a completely different trajectory to deliver all-round coverage of the target, compared with the original 3D or conventional nozzle droplets,” explains Harry.
To assess the impact of different angles on spray deposition, Syngenta carried out track spraying trials at its Application Research Laboratory, at Jealott’s Hill in Berkshire. Repeated hundreds of times, these produced thousands of samples for analysis.
“These results and repeated fine tuning, showed the optimum angle of 55° delivered the most consistent results for application to designated targets,” says Harry. “Even altering the angle in development by as little as 5°, resulted in 31% greater spray deposition overall on the target, with 36% more on the back and 20% on the front to enhance all round coverage.”
The 3D90, he continues, is particularly well designed to produce an extremely consistent droplet size spectrum across a range of water volumes and operating pressure. “Tests produced a good Coefficient of Variation (CoV), and this indicates the droplets are an even size, providing greater consistency in targeting of the spray,” he says.
| 3D90 key features |
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| 90% drift reduction |
| 55⁰ spray angle |
| Integral cap |
| Boom height flexibility |
| 3D90 optimum operation for pre-em herbicides |
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| 05 nozzle |
| 200 litre/ha water volume |
| 50cm boom height |
| Faster than 10km/h forward speed |
Find out more about the latest Syngenta nozzle offers HERE
