Updated sprayer hygiene and maintenance advice

Corteva Agriscience has produced an updated best practice advice video highlighting the benefits of good sprayer hygiene.

The video is presented by independent spray application specialist Tom Robinson who returns to the Stowell Park Estate in Gloucestershire to visit farm foreman Andrew Myatt to see how his robust winter servicing programme optimised sprayer performance in 2023. Andrew, a former Sprayer Operator of the Year, says his time spent in the workshop last winter was well worth it as it meant a busy spring of spraying was uninterrupted by repairs or servicing.

Alongside scheduled maintenance, Andrew followed Corteva’s best practice application advice relating to sprayer hygiene and spray concentration rates when applying Univoq.

Tom said: “In 2022 Andrew had minor issues with his sprayer’s check valves when applying Inatreq active, but servicing and following Corteva’s best practice application advice led to him eradicating the problem last spring.

A new addition for the video this year is the servicing of a Ramsay pressure set – more commonly known as a Ramsay box. Andrew also shares how to service his machine’s pump by replacing its diaphragms as well as explaining how chemical residues can cause them to wear, distort and split if not replaced annually.

The full video is available here

For 2024 applications of any product containing Inatreq active, Corteva has issued the following best practice guidance:

• The maximum concentration should not exceed 2-litres of product in 285-litres of water per hectare – a 0.7% concentration
• Inatreq spray solutions should not be left in the spray tank overnight – follow the recommendations on the label – and operators should rinse the sprayer tank, pump and lines through at the end of each day’s spraying
• Inatreq should not be used in sprayers equipped with pulse width modulation technology
• Corteva recommends replacing pump diaphragms annually, ideally with NBR or Blue flex parts. Abide by the pump manufacturer’s service recommendations
• For anti-drip diaphragms, EPDM parts are recommended, or operators can modify air shut-off anti-drip valves to use Teflon replacements. If neither of these options are possible, Corteva recommends replacing all existing pneumatic/automated anti-drip diaphragms/pistons with new before spraying products containing Inatreq. It’s important to check these after use too

If your sprayer has a Ramsay box, you should replace the diaphragm seal during winter maintenance.

View FarmAds crop sprayer machinery for sale here