Pesticide Application Technology Laboratory: Recent Episodes
PAT Lab, Greg Kruger
The Pesticide Application Technology Laboratory is located at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte and builds on over four decades of pesticide application research. The mission of the lab is to better understand how to control weeds, diseases and insects in agricultural production systems most effectively. The research of the lab is geared toward improving application practices which will maximize pesticide efficacy through the use of nozzle selection, spray solution, pressure and sprayer modifications. Concurrently, the lab is also focused on finding application practices which will minimize pesticide drift and environmental contamination.
For more information please visit our website: pat.unl.edu
The tensiometer allows us to calculate surface tension, evaporation rate, contact angle on a surface (including the leaf surface of different plant species), and a course calculation of absorption rate if necessary. This equipment gives us the ability to understand the fate of a droplet under different environmental conditions (temperature and humidity).
his software is used for scanning water sensitive paper, Kromekote cards or other cards which have visible droplets deposited on them. The program then reports coverage, total number of droplets deposited, and deposition volume (in gallon per acre) giving rapid feedback on application performance.
The pesticide application technology lab has three greenhouses covering 8,400 square feet. The greenhouses grow crops and weeds that can be sprayed in one of the spray chambers or the low speed wind tunnel to evaluate biological impact from pesticide drift or efficacy of different applications. LED lights in the greenhouse combine red and blue wavelengths that optimizes photosynthesis allowing plants to quicker.
The patternator evaluates the consistency of spray distribution across the boom. Spray boom height and pressure can be adjusted to investigate nozzle type and tank solution impact on spray patterns. Sonic measuring devices measure spray volume in each collection tube and calculate a statistical coefficient of variation (CV) to determine uniformity.
The three-nozzle research spray chamber is used to make pesticide applications using nozzle designs, spacing, boom heights, pressures, speed and tank solutions similar to those used in the field. The spray chamber allows for rapid comparisons of coverage and efficacy across numerous application parameters.
The Single-Nozzle Track Spray Chamber is used primarily to investigate herbicide efficacy on different weed species. A common application for the single nozzle track spray chamber is herbicide resistance screening with dose response studies. The equipment also features a rain fall simulation function allowing the group to investigate rainfastness and soil activation of pesticides.
The low-speed wind tunnel is designed to better understand droplet size and drift potential. The wind tunnel can operate in wind speeds up to 15 mph while capturing droplet size using a laser diffraction instrument. This piece is the iconic mark of the lab and has helped educate applicators on making safer applications with less pesticide drift.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln agronomy students took top honors at the 2016 North Central Weed Science Society Meeting held Dec. 12-15 in Des Moines, Iowa. Thomas Butts received first place in the student video competition with his video “How to better utilize pulse-width modulation sprayers.”
Butts' research focus is in weed science and pesticide application technologies. Under the instruction of Greg Kruger at the Pesticide Application Technology Laboratory in North Platte, Nebraska, Butts is currently researching the influence of pulse-width modulation spray application systems on droplet spectrum, spray application parameters, and herbicide efficacy. The precise applications of new herbicide technologies will allow farmers to more effectively utilize drift reduction technologies, increase crop yield potential, and control herbicide-resistant weeds.
UNL, Ph.D. Agronomy, Weed Science student, Thomas Butts explains duty cycle and its application benefits.