Minimize spraying drift demo

By John Hixson
Contributing Writer
Union County Post

Spray drift may be the No. 1 concern of pesticide applicators, but there are ways to minimize the problem. And visitors to Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review checked out the latest in techniques and equipment that achieve that goal.
Erdal Ozkan, an Ohio State University Extension agricultural engineer, was on-hand at the Farm Science Review at the chemical rinse pad area next to the Tobin Building on Beef St. to demonstrate various equipment and nozzles that can reduce spray drift. One of the concepts that was demonstrated is air-assisted spraying – one of the most effective ways to reduce spray drift, if the equipment is used properly. Visitors were able to see the difference in performance between a conventional sprayer and an air-assisted sprayer.
“ Fifty to 75 percent of complaints that go through the Ohio Department of Agriculture are related to spray drift,” said Ozkan, who also holds a partial research appointment with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. “It’s very important to reduce spray drift because of the nature of field crop production systems. You don’t want to contaminate one field while trying to protect another.”
Ozkan, together with other Ohio State University researchers, also demonstrated the use of low-drift nozzles, which can reduce the amount of drift up to 10-fold by reducing the spray volume, compared to conventional nozzles.
“ The second focal point of discussions and demonstrations held at Farm Science Review was to explain the results of a comprehensive field work that helps farmers to determine the most effective spray technology for controlling diseases like soybean rust and insects like soybean aphids, awhile reducing drift as much as possible,” said Ozkan.
Collaborative research between OARDC, and the Application Technology Research unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-ARS in Wooster has found that proper selection and operation of spray equipment and nozzles play a key role in controlling diseases like soybean rust – especially in soybean fields with thick canopies where the need to reach the bottom portion of the plants is necessary for effective disease control.
Licensed insect inspectors must be used by home buyers
Home inspections for termites and other wood-destroying insects have become commonplace for home buyers. Some bank and mortgage companies even require these inspections to be done before the loan is approved. When having an inspection done, make sure the inspector has a license. This license is required by the State of Ohio for wood-destroying insect inspectors who inspect houses for real estate transactions.
As part of the licensing process, inspectors must attend a five-hour training session. OSU Extension and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) are sponsoring a training session for inspectors wanting to become licensed.
If you have questions about Wood Destroying Insect Inspections training, please call the Ohio State University Extension Pesticide Education Program at (614) 292-4070.
Fall Herbicide Treatments
Fall herbicide treatments have become a fairly common practice for some no-till producers, who recognize their value for managing certain tough winter weeds and providing a weedfree seedbed in the spring. Fall herbicide treatments should accomplish two major goals.
First, the fall treatment has to control winter annual, biennial, and perennial weeds that emerge in late summer or fall or are already present at the end of the previous crop’s harvest. Weeds in this category include chickweed, annual bluegrass, purple deadnettle, marestail, wild carrot, and dandelion, among others. These weeds overwinter and regrow in the spring, interfering with crop establishment and early-season growth, and they need to be controlled by a fall or early-spring herbicide application.
A secondary goal is to prevent seed production by these weeds, which reduces future weed infestations. Fall herbicide treatments are by far the most effective method for controlling dandelions, poison hemlock, and wild carrot, which are difficult to control in the spring.
For complete details on fall herbicide applications, call Ohio State University Extension, Union County at 644-8117 or 1-800-589-8584 and request the September 12 edition of the CORN Newsletter and read the article written by Mark Loux, Ohio State University Extension Weed Specialist.