Boom Sprayer Calibration

/ Cal Poly Strawberry Center

Boom Sprayer equipment should be calibrated at least once per production season in order to ensure that the correct/desired amount of spray material is being applied. There are six steps to sprayer calibration and regular maintenance:

  1. Preparations
  2. Maintenance
  3. Pressure uniformity
  4. Nozzle output (Fig. 1)
  5. Actual application rate (Fig. 2)
  6. Adustments

Detailed calibration instructions (video) can be found on the California Strawberry Commission’s YouTube channel @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXjCXBV1Jik

Figure 1. Cal Poly Strawberry Center field team determining spray rate (nozzle output) by collecting expelled water into beakers over a 30-second time window. This rate is needed in order to determine tractor speed based upon desired quantity or rate of material application (30 Nov 2023). (photo by Kyle Blauer)
Figure 2. Field team timing how long it takes tractor to travel 100 ft (several replications at different tractor gears were performed) to determine optimal tractor gear/speed that results in desired amount of product sprayed (application rate) for each bed (30 Nov 2023). (photo by Kyle Blauer)

Clean water only to be used for nozzle sprayer calibration.

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