Boom spray calibration

1. Measure off 100 meters in the field to be sprayed.

2. Drive over the 100 meters with the sprayer and equipment that will be used during the time of spraying.  This will most nearly simulate the conditions during the time that the chemical is actually being applied.  Record the time required to travel the 100 meters at the speed which will be used when spraying.

3. With the sprayer stationary and an operating pressure of 280kPa (40psi) at the pump, collect the volume of water discharged from at least 4 nozzles in the length of time it took to travel over the 100 meters.

4. Record the volume caught from the nozzles and calculate how much would have been delivered from all nozzles using the following formula:

   

5. Calculate the amount of water applied per hectare by using the following formula:

    

Example:

Swath width in meters, 12
Number of nozzles on sprayer, 24
Number of nozzles caught during test, 4
Total liters of liquid caught during test, 3

Using the formula in step 4, substitute the values found;

Using the formula in step 6, substitute the values found:

Quick check chart

When the volume of each nozzle has been measured and the ground speed known, quick check charts can be used to determine the application rate in liters/ha. Figure xxx shows the volume of application (l/ha)at varying ground speeds at a nozzle spacing of 50 cm .