The effect of canopy development and sprayer position on spray drift from a pipfruit orchard

Abstract

Spray drift continues to be an important issue for commercial pipfruit growers Offtarget agrichemical movement was determined from the Hawkes Bay Focus Orchard on two occasions Canopy development had a major influence on spray drift with 25 times less drift from a fully foliated canopy compared with a dormant canopy The proximity of the sprayer relative to the edge of the sprayed block was an additional major factor influencing spray drift Results are compared with those found in previous New Zealand and overseas studies and management strategies for spray drift minimisation are discussed