Cleaning Field Sprayers to Avoid Crop Injury

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Cleaning Field Sprayers to Avoid Crop Injury

• Is it drift or is it a contaminated sprayer?
• Phil Glogoza and David Nicolai
• Regional Extension Educators-Crops

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Sprayer contamination could result in

• Drift-like symptoms that appear
• Reduced effectiveness of the tank mix
• Crop loss
• Environmental pollution
• Fines
• Lawsuits
• Loss of income

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Sources of Contamination of Spray Equipment

• Improper or inadequate cleanout
• Re-dissolved residues
• Contamination from using remix water
• Poly fiber tanks, old hoses
• Low-rate actives with highly active molecules
• Presence of tank mix partners
• Mini-bulk contamination - repackaging

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Ways to reduce or avoid contamination

• Use pesticide resistant materials
• example, stainless steel tanks
• Removing enough liquid during the cleanout
  process
• Follow proper cleanout procedures
• label information if provided
• Extension publications
• Adopting engineering controls
• tank rinsing nozzles
• Use special cleaners
• Use a dedicated sprayer

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Surfactants and fertilizer additives

• When switching from a growth regulator herbicide
  (e.g., 2,4-D, Banvel, or Stinger) to a
  postemergence application in soybeans, special
  care should be taken if using surfactants or
  fertilizer additives.
• Surfactants and additives are good at removing
  these herbicides from poly tanks, hoses, and
  strainers and releasing them into solution.

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Steps for Sprayer cleanout

• Work in a safe area. (environment and people)
• Hose down inside of tank
• Include THREE rinse steps
• Fill tank half full and flush out through the
  nozzles.
• Repeat and include a proper cleaning agent.
• Flush final time with clean water.

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Steps for Sprayer cleanout

• Spray and mix/load equipment should be thoroughly
  rinsed with clean water and the rinsate applied
  to field (according to label) prior to the
  cleaning process.
• Three primary objectives
• Dilute Deactivate Extract
• Select cleaning agents
• Commonly use ammonia (not chlorine bleach)
• Commercial tank cleaning agents or common
  household detergents (liquid or dry)

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Making a Safe Area for Cleanup

• In the farmyard
• clean over an impermeable surface to avoid soil
  and ground water contamination (e.g., water
  wells on site)

• In the field
• clean water can be taken to the field in a
  separate tank.
• Clean the system by applying the rinse water to
  an acceptable field.

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Rinsate disposal

• Do not contaminate water supplies, streams, or
  crops
• Use an area inaccessible to children, pets, and
  livestock.
• The easiest way to do this is to have rinse water
  available in the field, either on the sprayer or
  support vehicle.

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Common Cleaning Solutions for use in
Agricultural Sprayers

• Ammonia
• Commercially formulated tank cleaners
• Detergent (e.g., trisodium phosphate, available
  at most hardware stores in white powder form, is
  a cleaning agent and degreaser)

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Ammonia

• Household ammonia is a commonly recommended
  cleaning agent
• Penetrates and loosens deposits and residues in
  the spray system.
• Ammonia does not decompose pesticide
• Ammonia increases the solubility of some
  herbicides by raising the pH.

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Commercial Tank Cleaners

• Commercial tank cleaners are recommended on many
  product labels and help remove water and
  oil-soluble pesticides.Check with the product
  label or with your local ag chemical dealer for
  available products

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Chlorine Bleach Precautions!

• Chlorine bleach can decompose residues of most
  sulfonylurea and other herbicides into inactive
  compounds.
• Rinsate containing chlorine bleach is not labeled
  for application to cropland.
• CAUTION !!!!!
• Chlorine bleach ammonia fertilizers
  dangerous chlorine gas irritating to the eyes,
  nose, throat, and lungs

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General cleaning solutions
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Sprayer Cleaning Solutions for Herbicides
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Sprayer Cleaning Solutions for Herbicides
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Sprayer Cleaning Solutions for Herbicides
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Take Home Points!

• When determining the correct clean-out procedure,
  it is important to consider the products mode of
  action, carrier, and additives.
• They all have an impact on what cleaning
  solutions to use and potential damage to
  sensitive crops.

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Summary of General cleaning guidelines

• Be sure to clean the entire sprayer system, not
  just the tank.
• Operate the pump and flush the cleaning solution
  through all hoses, strainers, screens, nozzles,
  and the boom.
• Small amounts of residue left in these areas can
  be sufficient to cause serious damage to a
  sensitive crop.

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General cleaning guidelines

• Drain the sprayer tank and lines and rinse tank,
  boom, and lines with water for a minimum of 5
  minutes.
• Clean spray equipment as soon as possible after
  use. Dried residues are more difficult to clean
  and remove

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General cleaning guidelines (continued)

• 2. Fill the tank with clean water and one of the
  following cleaning solutions per 100 gallons of
  water
• 1 gallon household ammonia, or
• 8 lbs trisodium phosphate cleaner detergent, or
• commercial tank cleaner (follow instructions).
• Flush the solution through the entire sprayer
  system.
• For growth regulator herbicides, let the solution
  stand overnight. Add more water to fill tank and
  agitate solution for at least 15 minutes and
  flush through the nozzles. Drain the tank.

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General cleaning guidelines (continued)

• 3. Remove the nozzles, screens, and strainers and
  clean them separately in a bucket of cleaning
  agent and water.
• 4. Rinse the entire system with clean water.