Researchers Aim To Reduce Pesticide Drift In The Lower Mississippi Delta

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.