Drift Potential from Glyphosate and 2,4-D Applications as Influenced by Nozzle Type, Adjuvant, and Airspeed

Highlights The AIXR nozzle and modified vegetable oil reduce drift potential. Downwind spray deposition increases non-linearly as airspeed increases. Nozzle selection is more important than adjuvant to mitigate spray drift. Abstract. Spray drift is a critical concern for pesticide applications and the largest focus for its reduction has been placed on increasing droplet size. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the influence of nozzle type, adjuvant, and airspeed on the droplet spectrum and spray drift deposits from applications of glyphosate plus 2,4-D in a wind tunnel. Two studies were conducted using three 11002 nozzles types (XR, DG, and AIXR) individually attached to a one-tip boom. The working pressure was 207 kPa. The first study evaluated drift from the potassium salt of glyphosate (1260 g ae ha-1) plus 2,4-D amine (450 g ae ha-1) tank-mixed with four adjuvants (individually) sprayed at 2.2 m s-1 airspeed. A glyphosate plus 2,4-D solution with no tank-mixed adjuvants was also evaluated. The second study evaluated drift from glyphosate plus 2,4-D applications in four airspeeds (0.9, 2.2, 3.6, and 4.9 m s-1). Drift potential was determined using 2 mm monofilament line collectors and a 1,3,6,8-pyrenetetrasulfonic acid tetra sodium salt (PTSA) fluorescent tracer added to solutions, quantified by fluorometry. Nozzles and adjuvants influenced droplet size distribution of glyphosate plus 2,4-D solutions. Among the nozzles, the AIXR produced the coarsest droplets and the lowest tracer deposits (12 ηg cm-2) at 12 m downwind regardless of solution type. When nozzles were pooled, the modified vegetable oil (MVO) reduced the spray deposition by 36% at 12 m compared to the solution without adjuvant. At 4.9 m s-1 airspeed, tracer deposit at 12 m downwind was 2-fold lower when applications were made through low-drift nozzles (DG and AIXR) compared to the XR nozzle. Results suggest that drift-reducing adjuvants tested in this study may not reduce drift and nozzle selection should be considered as a more important factor than adjuvants in order to mitigate spray drift.