Describes the main types of manually-operated or manually-carried pesticide application equipment. Gives details of design and shows the type of nozzle needed to treat crops and to improve the safety and efficiency of the spraying operation.

Sprayers. Equipment for generating aerosols, smokes and vapours. Dusters. Agricultural aircraft. Miscellaneous pesticides-application equipment. Fundamentals of pesticide application. Formulations for concentrate and ULV sprayings. Pesticide drift and its control. Measurement of efficacay of pesticide application. Selection of a sprayer/duster and planning pesticide application. Operation and maintenance of pesticide-application equipment. Faults with common pesticide-application equipment and their remedies. Safety precautions in pesticides application. Pest-control appliances other than pesticide-application equipment.

The FAO minimum requirements in this publication are based on existing international, European and national standards and other published references. The guidelines provide a practical aid to assist purchasing and other agencies to avoid buying or approving sprayers with quality and design limitations, which could compromise operator and environmental safety. Member countries should adopt them immediately, to begin to eliminate substandard and unsafe sprayers from national markets and ultimately from the international scene.

The second edition of Pesticide Application Methods has been fully revised to provide up–to–date information on the different types of application techniques and how they should be used to ensure efficient and effective pesticide control, thus reducing environmental impacts. Detailed information is provided on the role of chemical control in crop protection, discussing targets, formulations and droplets, spray quality and the choice of nozzles, improvements in the design of new equipment and safety precautions and maintenance issues.

Origins of pest control formulations and application machines. Plant protection pesticides and application equipment. Liquid atomizers: design, theory, and use. Spray application machines. Spray applications to orchards and vines. Pesticide dust application equipment. Soil application equipment. Calibration of pesticides applicators. The benefits and use of plant protection machines. Safety considerations in the use of pesticide chemicals.