Technical Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Available online at www.tjeas.com

2012 TJEAS Journal-2012-2-5/107-112
ISSN 2051-0853 2012 TJEAS

Sprayer Technology for Farm Mechanization

Course
Mohd. Hudzari Haji Razali, PhD
Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, 21300, Gong Badak,
Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Corresponding author Email: mohdhudzari@unisza.edu.my

ABSTRACT: In this experiment investigating about agricultural sprayers, several methods are used
to obtain information. Practically, the experiment is required to calculate the volume of liquid or
weedicide mixture required to cover a 1-ha area by using information such as the 5% percentage of
concentration of liquid which is 5ml of liquid in a 1 litre bottle and estimation that this sprayer covers
20 km/hr. Therefore, students measure the volume of water flows out through the nozzle by using
measuring cylinder for 5 seconds. Data obtained were then used to calculate the volume of liquid or
weedicide needed. Sprayers are commonly used on farms to spray pesticides, herbicides,
fungicides, and defoliants as a means of crop quality control. Invention of sprayer improves the
quality of agriculture. They are easy to operate, maintain and handle and facilitates uniform spread of
the chemicals.

Keywords: Sprayer Technology, Farm Mechanization, Tractor, Agriculture, Biotechnology

INTRODUCTION
Insects and weeds are largely responsible for the crop destruction. In modern horticulture and
agriculture, insecticides or pesticides, a man made or natural preparation are used to kill insects or otherwise
control their reproduction. These herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers are applied to agricultural crops with the
help of a special device known as a "Sprayer."In agriculture, a sprayer is a piece of equipment that spray
nozzles to apply herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to agricultural crops (Giles and Slaughter, 1997). Based
on the concept of high pressure, sprayer provides optimum performance with minimum efforts. There are
several types of sprayers available in the market such as manual or self-propelled sprayers, tractor mounted
sprayers and aerial sprayers as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1. Several types of sprayers ; tractor mounted sprayers and aerial sprayers as shown in figure 1

The invention of a sprayer, pesticides, fertilizers, bring revolution in the agriculture or horticulture sector
especially the invention of sprayers, enable farmers to obtain maximum agricultural output. They are used for
garden spraying, weed and pest control, liquid fertilizing and plant leaf polishing. It is available in man-portable

Tech J Engin & App Sci., 2 (5): 107-112, 2012

units, self-propelled units to boom mounts of 60-151 feet in length. Sprayers are available in variety of sizes
and specifications depending on the requirement of the plant or crop (Glinicki and Litorowicz, 2006). Following
are the main types of sprayers used for insecticide or pesticide sprays:
Backpack / knapsack sprayers
Foot sprayers
Garden sprayers
Hand compression sprayers
Power sprayers
Stirrup sprayers
There are many advantage of using sprayers such as easy to operate, maintain and handle, it facilitates
uniform spread of the chemicals, capable of throwing chemicals at the desired level, precision made nozzle tip
for adjustable stream and capable of throwing foggy spray, light or heavy spray, depending on requirement.
Literature review
While much of modern agriculture is based on mass mechanized production, advances in sensing and
manipulation technologies may facilitate precision autonomous operations that could improve the crop yield and
quality while saving energy, reducing manpower, and being environmentally friendly. Agriculture is the
backbone of human civilization. It evolved with human history whereas in the righteous book; Al-Quran there
are verses of agriculture significance invariably in many societies agriculture integrates into various socioreligious practices. Refer to Imam Nawawi on Kitab Sahih, the best work or effort for the human being is
agriculture. In Malaysia, agriculture was, and is always an important government agenda to ensure the
countrys food security for all the people (Mohd et al., 2008)
Sitespecific targeted spraying can lead to reduced pesticide application thereby, improving sustainability
and overcoming environmental concerns, reducing material costs and human labor, and diminishing medical
hazards. Currently, spraying in vineyards is conducted homogenously along the rows, without considering
areas with low foliage density or gaps between the grapevines. Estimates indicate that 10-30% of the pesticide
agents can be reduced by using smart sprayers targeted towards foliage only (Hanks, 1996).
Typically, foliage spraying is done by using boom that covers its entire height. The spraying boom is
dragged along the row and sprays the entire foliages. While spraying is done non-selectively, spraying the
grape clusters is done in one row of two ways. Often, a human carries a portable sprayer and sprays the plants
individually. This operation is very time consuming and labor intensive.
Typically, agrochemicals are applied to olive trees uniformly within a whole orchard without regard to the
spatial variability of the target tree profile. By reducing the spray losses, treatment efficiency can be improved
by associated with deposition on the ground and off-target drift. The automatic control system selectively
actuated individual sections of the spray boom in real-time based upon the prescribed demand in the GPS map
and the current geo-position information provided by the tractors RTK GPS system. Test results indicated that
the control system, mounted on a conventional sprayer, was able to reduce the volume of spray application on
the six tree rows tested by 19% when compared to conventional spray application techniques. Results also
indicated that the average application loss to the soil, for all the trees, was reduced 15.25% compared to
treatment with conventional equipment. Two spray collection masts of 9.5 m height were designed and built to
measure the drift produced during spray application and therefore to provide data for analysis of spray
distribution at various application heights within the tree. Results show that the new control system was able to
achieve the same spray distribution on the tree as the conventional sprayer while reducing the volume of
chemical applied (Wan Ishak, W.I. and M.S. Shazrol, 2007).
Methodology
In this experiment investigating about agricultural sprayers, several methods are used to obtain
information. One of them is observation. Students are shown on how to connect the sprayer body to the tractor
through the three-point-hitch. After that, students are allowed to practice on how to use the sprayer. Besides,
students also gain information by referring to several journals as instructed. Practically, students are also asked
to calculate the volume of liquid or weedicide mixture required to cover a 1-ha area by using information such
as the 5% percentage of concentration of liquid which is 5ml of liquid in a 1 litre bottle and estimation that this
sprayer covers 20 km/hr. Therefore, students measure the volume of water flows out through the nozzle by
using measuring cylinder for 5 seconds. Data obtained were then used to calculate the volume of liquid or
weedicide needed. Actually, there are several types of agricultural sprayers such as self-propelled, aerial
applicators and hand-held but, the one we are using is of pull-behind type of sprayer. Instead of a hand
application wand, a boom extends out of one or two sides of the back of the vehicle and multiple nozzles apply
2

Tech J Engin & App Sci., 2 (5): 107-112, 2012

the liquid as needed. The pressure is created from a mechanical pump within the sprayer, which is powered by
a battery or by attaching to the vehicle's electrical system. A remote control or device attached to a control line
is used to control the flow and spray.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Figure 2 show the components of mounted sprayer with label. Liquid filter is used to prevent debris
enter the tank during pouring water and concentration in tank. The tank is made from high composite material
of plastic.

Figure 2. shows liquid filter and tank filled with water, fertilizer or herbicide

Figure 3. pressure meter and pressure adjuster

Figure 4. two sets of hoses and nozzle

Tech J Engin & App Sci., 2 (5): 107-112, 2012

Figure 5. liquid filter and component to pick up water

Figure 6. shows PTO driver and agitator hose

Machine operates procedure

Follow these steps when calibrating sprayers before use it:
1. Fill the sprayer tank with water.
2. Run the sprayer, inspect it for leaks, and make sure all vital parts function properly.
3. Measure an appropriate distance in the field based on this nozzle spacing. Drive through the measured
distance in the field at your normal spraying speed, and record the travel time in 2 seconds. Repeat this
procedure and average the two measurements.
4. With the sprayer parked, run the sprayer at the same pressure level and catch the output from each
nozzle in a measuring jar for the travel time required.
5. Calculate the average nozzle output by adding the individual outputs and then dividing by the number
of nozzles tested. If an individual sample collected is more than 10 percent higher or lower than the
average nozzle output rate, check for clogs and clean the tip, or replace the nozzle.
6. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the variation in discharge rate for all nozzles is within 10 percent of the
average.
7. Then, the final average output in ounces is equal to the application rate in gallons per acre: Average
output (ounces) = Application rate (GPA).
8. Compare the actual application rate with the recommended or intended rate. If the actual rate is more
than 5 percent higher or lower than the recommended or intended rate, you must make adjustments.
9. You can start the adjustments by changing the pressure. Lowering the spray pressure will reduce the
spray delivered; higher pressure means more spray is delivered. Don't vary from the pressure range
recommended for the nozzles that you use. You also can correct the application error by changing the
actual travel speed. Slower speeds mean more spray is delivered; faster speeds mean less spray is
delivered.
10. If these changes don't bring the application rate to the desired rate, then you may have to select a new
set of nozzles with smaller or larger orifices.
11. Recalibrate the sprayer (repeat steps 5 through 12) after any adjustment.

Tech J Engin & App Sci., 2 (5): 107-112, 2012

Calculation on sprayer requirement

Table 1 show the data collection during g experiment. For the nozzle test, the amount of water collected in a
constant pressure and time duration is as follows;

Table 1. data collection for sprayer calculation

Time Consumed
Replicate
1
2
3
4
5

2 seconds
Volume of Water Collected (ml)
85
65
78
60
55

Thus,

The amount of the mixture liquid (eg: herbicide or pesticide) to cover the 1 hectare area is different depend on the
dilution rate of the mixture liquid solely. For example, the herbicide known as Grass Killer 55% Malathion needed 2 table
spoons with a gallon of water to cover 1,800 sq. ft.
If this herbicide is applied, the amount required for cover 1 hectare is as follows:
** 2 tablespoons of herbicide in a gallon of water able cover 1,800 sq. ft

Tech J Engin & App Sci., 2 (5): 107-112, 2012

For the preservation of water resources increases, especially in areas of limited water supply, more knowledge
and study about application efficiencies of sprinkler irrigation systems is needed. Irrigation principles and practices for
sprinkler irrigation nowadays have advanced to the point of the water applies efficiently that firstly controlled by the amount
of evaporation and drift losses. Seventy-five evaporation loss test was conducted and the result was analysed and it
showed that multiple retreation analysis of the data indicating the wind velocity and vapor pressure deficit are the main
factor disturbing the evaporation from the sprinkler sprayer.(Glinicki and Litorowicz, 2006; Giles and Slaughter, 1997).
Since years ago, industrialized country has already focused on the decreasing the irrigation needs in labour and
elimination of unacceptable working conditions which was a general idea that can be reached out by investment of modern
irrigation equipment. The result showed that the most important factor is sprinkler spacing and this research can be
concluded that the wind speed increases the coefficient uniformity decreased in all parameters (Hanks, 1996). Comparing
the rotator and spray sprinklers on the center-pivot sprinkler machines, the uniformity of applied water was higher for rotator
sprinklers. Uniformity was found for the rotator sprinklers than the spray sprinkler under both wind and no wind conditions.

CONCLUSION
Sprayers are commonly used on farms to spray pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and defoliants as a means of
crop quality control. Invention of sprayer improves the quality of agriculture. They are easy to operate, maintain and handle
and facilitates uniform spread of the chemicals.

REFERENCES
Giles, D.K. and D.C. Slaughter, Precision band sprayer with machine-vision guidance and adjustable yaw nozzles. Transactions of the
ASAE 40(1):29-36. (1997).
Glinicki M.A. and Litorowicz A., Crack System Evaluation In Concrete Elements At Mesoscale Bull. Pol. Ac.: Tech., Vol. 54(4): pp. 371-379
(2006).
Hanks, J. E., Smart sprayer selects weeds for elimination. Agricultural Research 44(4):15 (1996).
Mohd. Hudzari Razali, Wan Ishak, Abd. Rahman Ramli, Md. Nasir Sulaiman, Modeling of Oil Palm Fruit Maturity for the Development of an
Outdoor Vision System. International Journal of Food Engineering. Volume 4, Issue 3, Article 5. (2008).
Wan Ishak, W.I. and M.S. Shazrol. Camera Vision Guidance for Automated Weed Sprayer on All Terrain Vehicles (ATV). Technical paper
in the Proceedings of The 2nd Asian Conference on Precision Agriculture. (ACPA07) Pyeongtaek, Korea. 2-4 August (2007).