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2.5.1.a Different types of sprayers

Collector panel or "face by face" sprayers

Various types of sprayers exist whose suitability depends on the nature of the vineyard. Collector panel sprayers are machines for which the position, number and flow rate of the nozzles ensure a homogeneous and identical quantity of product on all sides of the vines.

  • Initial treatment arch sprayers are best suited to wide vines and the first spraying. They consist of one or two rows of nozzles facing one other, aimed precisely at the vegetation at the beginning of its growth. This sprayer treats two rows at the same time and allows an efficient first treatment without drift. These sprayers are easy to use but can be time consuming.
Source : Vitisphère, practical guide to sprayers
  • Face-by-face or multi-row sprayers present many advantages: they can treat all sides and heights of vegetation in the same way. The treatment can be targeted and unnecessary nozzles can be shut off when the vegetation has not yet developed, which helps to reduce the amount of product applied unnecessarily. These devices do not need to drive down every row, only every third row. Two disadvantages remain: poor manoeuvrability due to the substantial space required by the sprayer when driving through the vines and the time needed for the treatment. Multi-row sprayers can be pneumatic or air blast. Pneumatic sprayers are less efficient because of the pneumatic technology: they are unable to regulate the formation of the product drops, and so the drift rate is higher. Air-blast sprayers allow the size of the micro-droplets produced and the airspeed to be adjusted, which significantly reduces product drift.
Source : Vitisphère, practical guide to sprayers
  • Sprayers mounted with recovery panels are a particular type of multi-row sprayer and have the advantage of greatly reducing losses to the environment by confining the spray mist. By their construction, their treatment width is fixed whereas pneumatic sprayers, for example, can be used every two to four rows, at the expense of the application quality. Depending on the vine's developmental stage, the volume actually applied per hectare changes, depending on the recovery rate. However, treatment volume must be calculated as with other equipment, according to the flow rates of each nozzle. Shutting down the upper nozzles at the beginning of the season and the higher recovery rate with little vegetation can thus reduce the volume actually applied per hectare to around 30 L/ha for an initial full capacity setting of 150 L/ha. The question that arises is therefore the amount of spray mixture necessary as the vines grow, to avoid excessive residues at the end of the treatment. An idea of the recovery rates at the key protection stages is thus required: 70% at the beginning of the season, 50% at flowering, then 10 to 20% in full vegetation, depending on the vine's vigour and the thickness of the canopy. Be careful, these rates are only indicative and vary from one case to another, only individual experience can establish rates corresponding to a particular vineyard. The equipment's adjustment systems usually provide this information. (IFV Occitanie)
Source : Vitisphère, Vitisphère, practical guide to sprayers

Non "face by face" sprayers

Non "face by face" sprayers do not allow a homogeneous distribution of the product on all sides of the vine. If they are used, it is advisable to alternate the rows of passage throughout the growth cycle to ensure better distribution.

  • Air-convection sprayers are not generally very efficient because of the significant drift of dispersed products and because they treat only one side when used every other row. Visible deposits can accumulate on the vegetation during the treatments. It is possible to treat all sides of the vegetation but this requires passing through every row. It is possible to adjust the type of nozzle (position and size), the speed of passage and the dispersion force (air flow) in order to reduce product drift. This sprayer is easy to use but has two major disadvantages: little control of drift and unpredictable spray quality.
Source : Vitisphère, Vitisphère, practical guide to sprayers
  • Hand-held pneumatic arch and cannon sprayers are mainly used on wide vines. These devices have a treatment efficiency that is highly dependent on the number of passes per row. The recommendation is to spray every two rows in order to treat all the sides of the vegetation. One side using the hand sprayer and the other using the cannon, which can lead to differences in spraying but the quality of spraying remains good in both cases since each side receives the product directly. Spraying every two rows is nonetheless more time consuming than spraying every three or four rows, even if the quality of spraying and the reduction of doses are better. Pneumatic technology can still cause significant drift compared to other air-blast sprayers (first treatment arches and multi-row air-blast sprayers).
Source : Vitisphère, practical guide to sprayers

Backpack dispersion devices

Backpack blowers are powerful tools also used for spraying phytosanitary products for vineyard treatment. These versatile devices can also be used as blowers for cleaning work. The nozzle at the end can be changed: these tools can disperse powders and seeds as well as liquids. Unlike backpack sprayers, blowers cannot be manually powered, they require thermal power, and therefore have an engine (fuel consumption, noise), which, along with the tank, can make them quite heavy. Larger blowers can be mounted on a trailer. Such equipment may be more expensive than a backpack sprayer (several hundred euros).

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