Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2022
Keywords
field spray drift; florpyrauxifen-benzyl; soybean injury; aerial application; ground application; herbicide drift models
Abstract
A field spray drift experiment using florpyrauxifen-benzyl was conducted to measure drift from commercial ground and aerial applications, evaluate soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] impacts, and compare to United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) drift models. Collected field data were consistent with US EPA model predictions. Generally, with both systems applying a Coarse spray in a 13-kph average wind speed, the aerial application had a 5.0- to 8.6-fold increase in drift compared to the ground application, and subsequently, a 1.7- to 3.6-fold increase in downwind soybean injury. Soybean reproductive structures were severely reduced following herbicide exposure, potentially negatively impacting pollinator foraging sources. Approximately a 25% reduction of reproductive structures up to 30.5-m downwind and nearly a 100% reduction at 61-m downwind were observed for ground and aerial applications, respectively. Aerial applications would require three to five swath width adjustments upwind to reduce drift potential similar to ground applications.
Citation
Butts, T. R., Fritz, B. K., Kouame, K., Norsworthy, J. K., Barber, L. T., Ross, W. J., Lorenz, G. M., Thrash, B. C., Bateman, N. R., & Adamczyk, J. J. (2022). Herbicide Spray Drift from Ground and Aerial Applications: Implications for Potential Pollinator Foraging Sources. Scientific Reports, 12, 18017. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22916-4
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
