SELECTING SPRAY TIPS FOR APPLICATIONS TO TURF W. E. Hart and J. B. Wills – Biosystems Engineering and Environmental Science Department; T. J. Samples, J. C. Sorochan, J. S. McElroy and D. K. Robinson - Plant Sciences Department; and D. M. Shepard - Syngenta Professional Products

Spray Tips Meter flow rate. Atomize liquid into droplets. Disperse droplets in a specific pattern. Propel droplets to the turf surface.

Spray Tip Identification

VisiFlo® Color Coding Standard

There must be enough pressure to develop the pattern.

Spray Angle The actual spray width will be less than theoretical due to gravity. Minimum overlap is critical, maximum overlap is not. A 30 percent overlap is recommended for most tapered spray patterns. Avoid spray angle collapse when using drift retardants.

Doubling the spraying pressure does not double the gallons per acre. Spraying pressure must be increased 4 times to double flow through a spray tip. As spraying pressure is increased, droplet size decreases and orifice wear increases. Pressure should be used to make only small adjustments in output.

Malvern Laser Analyzer

Cutting the Droplet Size in Half Produces Eight Times the Number of Droplets 250 Microns 250 Microns 500 Microns 250 Microns 250 Microns 250 Microns 250 Microns 250 Microns 250 Microns

Number of Droplets per Sq. Inch When Applying 20 GPA Liquid Droplet Size (micron) Droplets per square inch (20 GPA) 50 - Fog 180,000 100 – Very Fine 22,500 200 - Fine 2800 300 - Medium 860 400 – Coarse 360 500 – Extremely coarse 44 A micron = 1/1,000 mm or 1/25,000 inch. If droplets are too small (e.g. < 150 microns in diameter), they can drift. Coverage can also be improved by increasing the spray volume.

Droplet Size Categories Category Symbol Color Code Approximate VMD (0.5) Very fine VF Red <150 microns Fine F Orange 150 – 250 Medium M Yellow 250 – 350 Coarse C Blue 350 – 450 Very coarse VC Green 450 – 550 Extremely coarse XC White >550 All spray tips produce a range of droplet sizes. VMD (volume mean diameter) = droplet size where ½ of volume has droplets > the VMD, and ½ the volume has droplets smaller than the VMD.

Droplet Size as Affected by Spraying Pressure Turbo TeeJet® 1 bar = 15 PSI of pressure.

Multiple-Tip Nozzle Body XRC™ TwinJet™ Turbo TeeJet® AI TeeJet® TurfJet™

XR TeeJet® Flat Fan Coverage Syngenta sponsored research, Dr. Paul Vincelli, University of Kentucky, 2004. Yellow moisture-sensitive paper turns blue when moisture contacts paper. Excellent coverage. Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta

Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta XRC Flat Fan Spray Tips Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta

XRC Flat Fan Spray Droplets Syngenta sponsored research, TeeJet® and Dr. Mike Fidanza, Pennsylvania State University, 2004. Clear drops are dew; blue drops contain the fungicide Daconil. Excellent coverage. Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta

Effect of Pressure on Droplet Size XR & XRC TeeJet® Colors in the left column refer to the VisiFlo color coding guide for spray tips.

XR/XRC TeeJet® Flat Fan Spray Tips Driftable Fine % at 40 psi: XR8004 = 5% (<150 Microns) XR11004 = 14%

Air Induction Spray Tips

AI TeeJet® Spray Tips AI Spray Tips

Air Induction TeeJet® Spray Tip Coverage Syngenta sponsored research, Dr. Paul Vincelli, University of Kentucky, 2004. Yellow moisture-sensitive paper turns blue when moisture contacts paper. Excellent coverage. Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta

AI/AIC TeeJet® Spray Tips Driftable Fine % at 40 psi: AI11004VS = < 1% (<150 Microns)

Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta TurfJet™ Spray Tips Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta

TurfJet™ Wide Angle Flat Spray Tips Integrated pre-orifice design allows for extremely coarse droplets for little to no drift. Patented turbulence chamber produces a wide angle flat fan spray pattern with an excellent spray distribution. Recommended spraying pressures are from 25 – 75 psi.

TurfJet™ Spray Tip Droplets Syngenta sponsored research, TeeJet and Dr. Mike Fidanza, Pennsylvania State University, 2004. Clear drops are dew; blue drops contain the fungicide Daconil. Fair coverage. Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta

TurfJet™ Spray Tip Coverage Syngenta sponsored research, Dr. Paul Vincelli, University of Kentucky, 2004. Yellow moisture-sensitive paper turns blue when moisture contacts paper. Fair coverage. Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta

TurfJet™ Wide Angle Flat Spray Nozzles Driftable Fine % at 40 psi: 1/4TTJ04-VS = < 1% (<150 Microns)

Raindrop Spray Tip Coverage Syngenta sponsored research with Dr. Paul Vincelli, University of Kentucky, 2004. Yellow moisture-sensitive paper turns blue when moisture contacts paper. Fair coverage. Compliments of Dr. Dennis Shepard, Syngenta

Turbo TeeJet® Spray Tips

Turbo TeeJet® Spray Tips 1 bar = 15 PSI of pressure.

Turbo TeeJet® Spray Tips Driftable Fine % at 40 psi: TT11004 = < 2% (<150 Microns)

XRC TeeJet® Flat Fan Coverage TurfJet™ Coverage XRC TeeJet® Flat Fan Coverage

Drift Potential

Fungicides Spray Tip Contact Systemic Air Induction TeeJet® Good Excellent TeeJet® Standard Flat Good - Excellent Good - Very Good Turbo TeeJet® Wide Angle Flat Very Good - Excellent TurfJet™ Wide Angle Flat TwinJet™ Twin Flat XR TeeJet® Extended Range Flat

Herbicides Spray Tip Contact Systemic Air Induction TeeJet® Good Excellent TeeJet® Standard Flat Good - Excellent Good - Very Good Turbo TeeJet® Wide Angle Flat Very Good - Excellent TurfJet™ Wide Angle Flat TwinJet™ Twin Flat XR TeeJet® Extended Range Flat

Insecticides Spray Tip Contact Systemic Air Induction TeeJet® Good Excellent TeeJet® Standard Flat Good - Excellent Good - Very Good Turbo TeeJet® Wide Angle Flat Very Good - Excellent TurfJet™ Wide Angle Flat TwinJet™ Twin Flat XR TeeJet® Extended Range Flat

The authors wish to thank the Spraying Systems Co. , P. O The authors wish to thank the Spraying Systems Co., P. O. Box 7900, Wheaton, IL 60189-7900 for providing graphics and information.