Farmers procure pesticides for specific purposes on their farms. Achieving these purposes requires accurate pesticide dosage calculations, selection of the appropriate sprayer, and careful calibration, as discussed in previous articles.
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Procedure for Chemical Mixing and Sprayer Operation
Before mixing chemicals for spraying a given area, determine the required amount of chemical and water to avoid wastage or under-dosage. The following calculation outlines this process.
Calculating Chemical and Water Requirements
- Measure the area to be sprayed using a metric measuring wheel.
- For a spray volume of 200 liters per hectare and a dose rate of 5 liters per hectare:
- Water needed: (200 ÷ 10,000) × area (square meters).
- Chemical concentrate needed: (5 ÷ 10,000) × area (square meters).
- Example: For 5,000 m², (5 ÷ 10,000) × 5,000 = 2.50 liters of chemical.
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Preparing the Sprayer for Application
When calibration is complete and spraying is about to begin:
- Half-fill the sprayer with water, add the calculated amount of chemical, and then fill to the full mark.
- If calibration indicates only half a knapsack is needed, use 50% of the calculated figures to avoid mixing excess solution.
Evaluating Spray Job Completion
At the end of the spray job:
- Leftover chemical or spray volume suggests the measured area was smaller than estimated or the application was incorrect.
- Running out of spray solution before covering the entire area indicates over-application, possibly due to walking too slowly or overlapping spray swaths.