Sprayer tank agitation check: A proposal for a simple instrumental evaluation

The performance of the sprayer agitation system has an important effect on both pesticide distribution quality and environmental contamination. The visual inspection of sprayer tank agitation systems during inspections of sprayers in use could not give enough precise and repeatable information also due to the human factor. With the aim to provide more reliable and objective results for the equipment already in use, experiments were carried out for individuating instruments and methods enabling to make a simple and quick evaluation of sprayer tank agitation systems efficiency. Use of a solid inert tracer (glass microspheres) characterized by high sedimentation velocity, to be inserted with the water in the main tank, was found suitable to provide useful information about the efficiency of tank agitation systems in a quick and reproducible way. Further tests are in course in order to confirm the reliability of results obtained using this tracer and to define the details of a test methodology to propose for inspections of sprayers in use

A proposal for an EU (SPISE) database of the licensed sprayers inspectors and inspection centres

In order to guarantee at European level the easy identification of sprayers inspected and to allow mutual recognition of inspections as recommended by the European Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (128/2009/EC) it would be necessary to create a SPISE database enabling to collect the list of the technicians authorized to make inspections of sprayers in use and of the licensed inspection centers. This database should be managed at SPISE level and should be linked to the national databases for getting regular updates.Actually in Italy there is a public national online database (www.centriprovairroratrici.unito.it) that was realized by the ENAMA working group. Only the sprayers inspected by the test stations listed in this database are recognized all over the country.This national database contains also the results of all the inspections made in the different Italian Regions and therefore provides a support for monitoring the inspection activity at national level. Independently of the software used at local level for managing data of sprayer inspections, some key information have to be necessarily provided in order to identify the sprayer inspected.They are the coordinates of the test station, the name of the technician who inspected the sprayer, the name of the owner of the sprayer, the data of the machine inspected, the date of the inspection and its response

The necessity of a harmonized procedure for sprayers inspectors training: the Italian activity

European Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides requires that the people making inspections of sprayers in use have an official license, recognized at national level, released by the competent Authority. In Italy, Authorities responsible of training and upgrading of sprayers inspectors are Regional and Provincial administrations. They make this job in collaboration with research institutes that provide qualified teachers.With the aim to homogenize in the whole country the activity of training and licensing of sprayers inspectors the rules for training courses and the criteria for releasing licenses have been defined by ENAMA. Training courses shall have a duration of at least 40 hours subdivided between theory (60% of total time) and practical (40% of total time).Topics treated during courses are: criteria to apply pesticides, main sprayer types used in agriculture and relative components, test methods and equipment used to carry out the inspections of sprayers in use and to adjust them. The exam to get the inspector license shall consist in: a) filling of a questionnaire with multiple answers (at least 80% of answers have to be correct); the questions are selected among a database approved by ENAMA Working Group; b) oral test; c) practical exam consisting in the complete inspection of one sprayer.In order to guarantee the same quality level of sprayers inspections in the different European countries and to guarantee the mutual recognition of inspections made it is considered necessary to reach in short terms an agreement to harmonize the activity of training, licensing and upgrading of sprayers inspectors across Europe

Perfformances evaluation of different vertical patternators

Assessment of vertical spray profile is one of the main steps to adjust sprayers for bush and tree crops, as it allows to verify that the spray plume matches the target canopy profile. The equipment used for assessing the vertical spray profile is typically a vertical test bench or patternator. Even if the sprayer adjustment is recommended in EU Directive 128/2009/EC, the use of vertical test benches is only optional in the procedures for the inspection of air-assisted sprayers in use currently adopted in the EU Member States, that mainly refer to EN 13790- 2 and to new ENISO FDIS 16122-3. At present, in the International Standards, there is not any indication of the minimum requirements that the vertical test benches have to fulfill, neither in terms of constructive characteristics or of functional parameters. For this reason, the types of vertical test benches used in the test stations, even if are based on the same principle of functioning (presence of a vertical surface to collect the whole liquid sprayed and of graduated tubes for measuring it), present some differences in terms of structure, mainly related to collectors types and their disposal along the test bench. Two main categories of vertical test benches can be identified: 1) equipped with a continuous collecting wall; 2) equipped with a discrete number of separated collectors. In each category it is then possible to have different models, depending on the size, materials, number and position of the collectors. With the main purpose to define methodology and criteria for the vertical patternator evaluation, specific performance tests were carried out in laboratory using four different types of vertical test benches and a horizontal test bench complying with ISO 5682-1 requirements. Spray recovery capacity and reproducibility of results, both in terms of recovery and of spray profile were assessed using different droplet sizes, air speeds and air directions. Results of these first experimental trials pointed out that the criteria applied to assess the performance of the vertical test benches seemed able to discriminate the differences between the models tested. Amount of spray recovery was mostly affected by droplets size rather than by air velocity. Spray profile detected on the different vertical patternator types examined resulted generally similar. These first experimental results could constitute a basis for the development of a SPISE advice about test methodology and requirements for vertical test benches