On the look out for spray information.

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Author: Hill, Peter

• Job: Arable manager, Hardwick Farms, near Witney, Dxon
• Workload: 600ha of cereals and oilseed rape
• Sprayer: 3000-litre/24m Bateman RB25 self-propelled

What will you be looking for at next month's Sprays & Sprayers event? Peter Hill reports on the priorities of a range of farmers and contractors with the event in their diaries

Apart from browsing the Cereals event crop plots looking for some inspiring new spray treatments, Ben King will be on the look out for useful application equipment developments in the Sprays & Sprayers section.

"I have to keep up-to-date with the legislation and technical side of pesticide application through regular courses throughout the year," he points out. "This will give me a chance to concentrate on the hardware."

With the sprayer in only its third year and serviced by a purpose-built water bowser to cope with land some distance from the main yard, Mr King is pretty well set-up at the moment.

"We're using conventional tan and air induction jets and I'd be interested to get some more face-to-face information on using the air jets," he says. "My only real concern, at present, is cleaning and disposing of pesticide containers."

He'll be on the lookout for a racking and drip tray arrangement that allows the containers to be properly dried before being packaged up for recycling â€" but he does not expect to find anything.

• Job: Farmer and contractor, H Melton & Son, near Wisbech, Cambs
• Workload: 1600ha of cereals, potatoes and oilseed rape
• Sprayer: Two Bateman [Rb15/RB25] 24m self-propelled

With firm plans to replace the older of his two sclf-propeued sprayers, Andrew Melton will be keen to see what further developments Bateman has made to its selfpropelled sprayers, while keeping an interested eye on what other manufacturers have to offer.

"We've looked at others but the reliability and features of the Bateman mean we'll probably have another RB25 although there's a good chance we'll go for a bigger boom than the 24m one on our current machines," says Mr Melton. "We're after more output, of course especially for contracting and potato spraying, and now that manufacturers have more experience of building booms of this size that are strong enough and stable, I think we could go larger with more confidence."

Mr Melton also hopes to see evidence of all sectors of the pesticide industry really getting to grips with the container disposal issue.

"I want to see the container manufacturers, the pesticide makers and the sprayer manufacturers working together to develop truly practical technology for rinsing, cleaning and disposal," he says.

• Job: Manager, Sutton Cheney Farming Partnership near Market Bosworth, Leics
• Workload: 480ha of wheat, oilseed rape and winter beans
• Sprayer: Bateman 2500-litre/ 24m self-propelled

Lingering doubts about the efficacy of low volume spraying and a need for definitive guidance on sprayer filling pads and washing-down facilities are on Alan Summers' agenda for the Sprays & Sprayers event.

Today's nozzle technology offers a lot or benefits in terms of work rates, drift control and accurate targeting, he acknowledges.

"I do A lot of spraying at 100 litres/ ha using air induction spray rips, because I need the work rate advantage," says Mr Summers. "We're in quite a public location here and it seems we get fewer periods of good spraying conditions; so the extra output that comes from low water volume spraying is crucial if we're to cope."

But a suspicion that some pesticides do not seem to be giving their all when applied at 100 litres/ha will send him looking for reassurance and concrete evidence that the output gain is not coming at the expense of efficacy.

"The other aspect I'd like some clear decisions and guidance on concerns the filling and washing-down pad," says Mr Summers. "I like the idea of a biobed and I'd be willing to make the investment needed to rip up what we've got at present and install such a system.

"But until there's agreement that it's the right way to go and acceptable to bodies like the Environment Agency, there's little point doing anything in concrete," he adds.

• Job: Arable foreman, Ranston Farms, Blandford Foaim, Dorset
• Workload: 800ha of cereals, spring beans and linseed
• Sprayer: Sands 4000-litre/24m self-propelled

With spray drift containment an essential public relations issue, Michael Demnachie hopes to see further improvement in low-drift nozzle technology that puts the spray down without compromising the quality of application to the target crop.

"Spray drift is a big problem for us, because with a lot of footpaths and bndleways running across the farm we're very much in the public eye," he says. "I'm using air induction nozzles when necessary, but I'm sure we can go further in controlling drift without compromising spray quality."

Although the farm's Sands sprayer has a few years more service to give yet, Mr Donnachie says he'll be weighing up the new sprayers at the event â€" and without ruling the possibility of switching to a high capacity trailed machine when the time comes to swap.

Assessing bigger booms is also on the agenda: "You have fewer tramlines, more cropped area and higher output so the appeal's obvious."

Visits to some of the electronics firms at the event will help Mr Donnachie assess GPS steering guidance systems, which he says would be a real help when spraying post-harvest stubbles.

"You can sometimes still use the previous year's tramlines when spraying off the flush of weeds and volunteers after a light cultivation, but not always," he says. "Foam markers are just too unreliable, so I can waste a lot of time measuring up to do the job right."

With systems now boasting tighter accuracy and the ability to guide across hillsides and in curves, a light bar or graphic visual display could be just the thing to keep the sprayer on course.

• Job: Manager, C M Mercer, Bowley Court Farms near Leominster, Herefordshire
• Workload: 1000ha of wheat, barley, oilseed rape and potatoes
• Sprayer: Landquip Field Leader 4000-litre/24m

It was one of the biggest self-propelled sprayers available when Mercers bought the 4000-litre mechanical-drive Field Leader in 2002. But now that it's coming up for replacement, there are one or two more options.

"It was ahead of the game at the time and I liked the fact that with capacities up to 5500 litres, ours was a de-rated machine when all the other manufacturers were stretching theirs to increase capacity," says Mr Walters. "It's been robust and durable and rides well on its air suspension. We'll be evaluating what else is available, but there's always a good case for sticking with what you know."

Making better use of modern spray tip technology is also on the Sprays & Sprayers event agenda.

"We're still using conventional flat-fan nozzles to a large extent, so I'll be looking for some clear guidance and information on techniques for spraying grass weeds and blight sprays â€" perhaps using angled tips â€" more effectively," says Mr Walters. "Other than that, I'd like to see ideas on how we're meant to deal with some pesticide containers under the new disposal rules. When the container comprises a paper outer with a metallic liner and isn't acceptable for recycling, because it can't be rinsed properly, how is it meant to be handled?"

While appreciating it is a complex issue, Mr Walters is keen to see further progress made on returnable bulk containers, as well as means of concentrating pesticides in smaller disposable containers to reduce the volume (and cost) of material collected for recycling.

PHOTO (COLOR): Calls for progress on packaging design and rinsingtechnotogy, decisions on the acceptability of biobeds and other facilities for sprayer filling and washing down, and continued improvements in drift control and application quality through spray tip design and use are common themes among sprayer operators planning to visit this year's Sprays & Sprayers event.

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By Peter Hill