Calibration Accuracy of Golf Course Pesticide Applicators

Abstract

A field survey of 53 private and municipal golf course pesticide applicators was conducted during the summer of 1988 in 29 central and eastern Nebraska counties. One out of six applicators applied pesticide carrier volumes within 5% of their intended volume. One out of three 18-hole golf courses were within 5% while none of the 9-hole courses met this criteria. Fifty-eight percent of the cooperators used the Known Area calibration method. Applicators who calibrated before each spray operation applied pesticides more accurately than those who calibrated less frequently. Cushman turf-trucksters and Broyhill sprayers equipped with centrifugal pumps and fan nozzles were the most commonly used equipment. Nozzle discharge uniformity was not a problem, suggesting that applicators were changing nozzles appropriately. Ground speed accuracy was not associated with pesticide application accuracy due to the calibration methods used by applicators.