Researchers Aim To Reduce Pesticide Drift In The Lower Mississippi Delta

Mar 16, 2023

To reduce the effects of pesticide drift and protect pollinators, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Stoneville, Mississippi, are investigating the best ways of using hooded sprayers and conventional (unhooded) sprayers.

While hooded sprayers have advantages, the presence of a physical shield can pose challenges during road transport or repairing nozzles when compared to conventional sprayers. If a farmer does not have access to a hooded sprayer or prefers to use a conventional sprayer, mitigating pesticide drift is still possible by avoiding high wind speed and high temperature during spraying.

"For example, our study's results also showed 74% reduction in pesticide drift when using a conventional sprayer in low wind conditions, when possible," said Kannan.

Researchers also found a reduced proportion of herbicide drifting with a longer sprayer boom length during preemergent herbicide applications.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.