Advances in application efficacy for chemigation systems with experimental nozzle technology
Conference Paper
Overview
Research
Identity
Additional Document Info
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
Injecting chemicals through center pivot irrigation systems is a practice commonly used by producers to apply fertilizer, herbicides, and insecticides. A chemical blank spiked with a fluorescent pigment was applied with several chemigation methods in 1991 and 1992 to compare spray pattern and deposition in corn. Fluorescent pigment on corn leaf surfaces were increased significantly and better distributed when injecting chemical through an, in-canopy, low volume Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES) experimental nozzle (7015.5 L/ha) than with higher volume (28,062 L/ha) in-canopy and above canopy commercial nozzles. Corn leaves in the TAES experimental nozzle treatment had 1.7 times more pigment in 1991 and from 1.6 to 2.1 times more pigment in 1992 than leaves from all commercial nozzle treatments. The amount of fluorescent pigment recovered from corn plants were similar for each commercial nozzle each year. The Senninger 360 OH nozzle, positioned above the corn plant, had less fluorescent pigment on the bottom and middle leaf locations than on the top leaf location.