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Crop and Pest Management Guidelines

A Cornell Cooperative Extension Publication
44084

7.4 Spray Nozzle Types

Conventional flat fan nozzles. Conventional flat fan nozzles produce droplets in the range of 10 to 450 microns. (There are 25,000 microns in one inch.) Drift is a major problem with droplets smaller than 150 microns. Increasing the volume median diameter (VMD) of a droplet will reduce drift, but too large a droplet will bounce off the leaves or fruit, causing pollution, wasting money, and resulting in in effective pest control.

Nozzles with an 80° angle produce coarser droplets than those with a 110° angle at the same flow rate. However, 80° nozzles require the boom to be set 17 to 19 inches above the target, where 110° nozzles can be set lowerat 15 to 18 inches from the target. (Keeping the nozzle closer to the target reduces the chance for drift). Spray quality for conventional flat fan nozzles is fine to medium at 15-60 psi.

Pre-orifice flat fan nozzles. The internal design of these nozzles reduces the internal operating pressure compared to a conventional flat fan, resulting in coarser droplets. Available as 80° or 100° nozzles, spray quality ranges from medium to coarse at 30-60 psi.

Turbo-Teejet. The Turbo-Teejet has a turbulence chamber that produces a wide-angle flat spray pattern of 150°. Spray quality for this nozzle is medium to coarse at 15-90 psi. Nozzles can be set at 15-18 inches above the target.

Air induction nozzles. Air induction, air inclusion, or venturi nozzles are flat fan nozzles where an internal venturi creates negative pressure inside the nozzle body. Air is drawn into the nozzle through two holes in the nozzle side, mixing with the spray liquid. The emitted spray contains large droplets filled with air bubbles (like candy malt balls) having virtually no fine, drift-prone droplets. The droplets explode on impact with the target, producing similar coverage to conventional, finer sprays.

Air induction nozzles reduce drift even when operating at higher pressures of 80-90 psi. They are available as 110° fan angles, so the boom height may need to be adjusted to 15-18 inches.

44085

7.4.1 Nozzles on the Net

albuz-spray.com/index.php/en/en-agriculture

This web page contains product information on agricultural and industrial nozzles. Albuz offer a variety of nozzles and whirl plates for application systems. Technical information about Albuz nozzles can be found at this site. Albuz nozzles are distributed by Greenleaf Technologies. The Greenleaf Technologies web page offers technical training and information about the use of each nozzle.

www.delavanagspray.com/Index.htm

This web page contains product information on nozzles, nozzle accessories, sprayer accessories, high pressure guns/nozzles, pumps and high pressure washers. They offer educational material on calibration of nozzles and sprayers. They also have a nozzle type selection guide that is very useful to help select the right nozzle for your specific application. There are conversion factors for broadcast nozzle spacing and metric and imperial gallon conversion.

www.hardi-us.com

This web page contains product information on sprayers for all crops, nozzles, pumps and electronic controllers. They feature new products in the marketplace and educational materials which provide knowledge on servicing your sprayer. Also there is an online nozzle selection app that is very useful in selecting the correct nozzle for your specific application.

www.pentair.com/en-us/products/business-industry/agricultural-products.html

This web page contains product information on spray pumps, sprayer accessories, nozzle bodies, and spray nozzles. They also list educational guides that help you select the correct nozzle for your specific application.

http://www.greenleaftech.com/index.php (Greenleaf Technologies)

This web page contains product information on nozzles for turf, vegetables and other crops. The featured products are the Turbodrop, SprayMax, Airmix and SoftDrop nozzles. There is a nozzle guide to assist you in locating a nozzle for your application. There are educational materials such as droplet size data, independent test data and news articles you can look through.

This web page contains product information on all different types of nozzles, spray guns, valves, manifolds, boom components, electronic controls and guidance systems. There's also an online or downloadable app to assist with nozzle selection and calibration.

www.wilger.net

This web page contains product information on various sprayer parts and nozzles. Some of their featured products include tips, caps, strainers, nozzle bodies and flow indicators. Also available is a nozzle selection calculator called Tip Wizard which helps you select the correct nozzle for your application. Tipnology is another resource which explains considerations for spraying.