The success of an efficient pesticide application depends on the synergy among factors such as droplet size, nozzle type, pressure, spray volume, spray tank mixture and target. The aim of this work was to evaluate the spectrum of droplets produced by turbo flat-fan (TT 11002) and air induction turbo flat-fan (TTI 11002) spray nozzles, with different adjuvants added to the tank mix, using the laser diffraction technique. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with four replications in a factorial model 2x5, i.e., two spray nozzles (turbo flat-fan and air induction turbo flat-fan) and five spray mixtures (water and water plus four adjuvants (phosphatidylcholine+propionic acid, nonylphenol polyglycolic ether; fatty acid esters and ethoxylated nonylphenol+ethylene oxide). In a controlled atmosphere, the droplet spectrum was evaluated through a real time laser particle size analyzer, at a pressure of 276 kPa. The effect of the adjuvant on the droplet size was shown to be dependent on the spray nozzle. Addition of an adjuvant did not alter drift risk, expressed by the percentage of spray volume in droplets smaller than 100 µm; however, the adjuvant phosphatidylcholine+propionic acid reduced the volumetric median diameter of the droplets produced by the air induction turbo flat-fan nozzle, compared to the evaluation with water alone.
spray mixture; surfactants; application technology; droplet size
