- Corteva Agriscience has published a new expert advice video on its website –www.corteva.co.uk/inatreqadvice – designed to highlight the importance of good sprayer hygiene and winter maintenance
Tom Robinson, an independent consultant with more than 30 years’ experience working with operators, presents the film and covers daily best practice advice for washing out sprayers in the field, as well as a workshop section explaining how to inspect and replace wearing parts.
Tom also explains the new guidance issued by Corteva for farmers who plan to use fungicides containing the company’s new Inatreq™ active molecule in 2023.
Keeping sprayers clean and well maintained prolongs the life of machines and reduces breakdowns. Sprayers which are ready to work allow farmers to apply crop protection products at the right time and the appropriate rate.
Good practice starts in the field, and in the video Tom visits Cotswolds farmer Andrew Myatt to see his post-application washout procedure.
Viewers can see how Andrew rinses his tank, pump and lines before carrying out a detailed inspection of the induction hopper, pipes and filter.
December and January are traditionally the months during which farms will service their machines to ensure they are fully prepared for busy spring fieldwork.
Back in the workshop, Andrew 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.
Tom then examines the various nozzle systems used on sprayers in the UK and Ireland, demonstrating the wearing parts inside which need to be replaced regularly to optimise performance.
Tom said: “It has always been my belief that well-maintained sprayers play a vital role in optimising the performance of crop protection products. If the machinery is in great condition, it will put the right amount of chemical in the right place at the right time.
“This information will be of use to all operators who want to keep their machines clean and well maintained, but is of particular interest to those applying fungicides containing Inatreq active, in 2023.”
For 2023 applications of any product containing Inatreq active, Corteva has issued the following best practice guidance:
• Inatreq should ideally be sprayed in a minimum water volume of 200L/ha. If lower volumes are used, the spray concentration should not exceed 0.7%.
• 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.
