Researches Regarding the Reliability of the Spraying Nozzles Used for Vineyard and Orchard Sprayers

摘要

The spraying equipments used for pest and disease control have a significant effect within the maintenance technologies applied in vineyards and orchards. The phytosanitary treatments are efficient if they comply with the following conditions: application in due time; minimum consumption of active substances; uniform distribution of the solution over the surface of the leaves; reduced contamination of the environment etc. These requirements can be achieved only by equipments that are precise and technologically advanced, having a high reliability; reliability is required because 12-16 treatments are performed during the vegetation period and because the chemical substances used for pest and disease control are highly corrosive for the materials used in the hydraulic system of the equipment. The paper presents the results of the tests concerning the reliability of the nozzles used by a spraying machine; the tests were based on an adequate research method and were performed in a specially designed laboratory. The results showed that there was significant wear of the nozzles' orifices, leading, in time, to major variations of the flow rate. A statistical analysis of the experimental data led to the deduction of the equations that express the variations of the flow rate in time.