Stop Off-target Spraying initiative share best times to spray chemicals for farmers this summer

And whilst a number of practical improvements have been made across across industries to reduce the risk off-target spray drift there have still be a concerning amount of reports made of damage.

The havoc and damage that La Nina is causing growers can be mitigated however, with a number of weather stations now in place across regional NSW to provide real time weather information to growers in an effort to help them pick the ideal time to spray.

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Iva Quarisa from the Stop Off-target Spraying initiative (SOS NSW) for the Riverina said even with the weather stations, picking the ideal conditions to spray can still be tricky for many.

"Every farmer knows about the impact of wind speed and direction and to a lesser extent evaporation on spray effectiveness but many still struggle with identifying the risk of a surface inversion," Ms Quarisa said.

"Many of us are not confident with using technology so a simple, rule of thumb approach has been developed to help growers make good decisions on spraying."

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According to Mrs Quarisa, the 24 hour risk profile for summer spraying shows a simple way the best time to spray to reduce the potential risk of spray drift.

"In the past farmers have sprayed at night or very early in the morning thinking that it is the optimal time but with research we now know that this is the highest risk time for spray drift," Ms Quarisa said.

SOS NSW instead recommends the optimal time of one hour after sunrise to midday, the risk of inversion increasingly dramatically after this time.

"Understanding the impact of inversions on spray drift is critical and if it can't be avoided then reduce the risk by choosing the best nozzle, chemical formulation and adjuvant," Ms Quarisa said.

For more information on how to reduce the risk of spray drift please visit https://sos-nsw.com/

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