BS 8412:2004

Describes five levels of performance for boom sprayers designed to make spatially variable applications of crop protection chemicals to arable crops. Also specifies a verification procedure.

This British Standard specifies five levels of performance for boom sprayers designed to make spatially variable applications of crop protection chemicals to arable crops. It also specifies a verification procedure.

This standard is applicable to configurations of tractor mounted, trailed and self-propelled sprayers with a boom width of greater than 6.0 m. Small boom sprayers with boom widths of less than 6.0 m that could be used in amenity areas or horticultural production are not within the scope of this standard.

The purpose of the standard is to enable recommendations for the spatially variable application of plant protection products to be made using the defined five performance levels. Performance levels are defined in relation to the range of dose rates that can be delivered and the spatial resolution of the application only.

It is recognized that other application factors and variables can be adjusted as part of the operation and control strategy of a spatially variable application systems. Such variables may include:

• volume rate;
• spray liquid concentration;
• spray quality;
• nozzle angle;
• forward speed;
• boom height.

Some of these variables may be changed in order to effect a change in the applied dose rate and in this way are covered by this standard. Matching delivery conditions other than dose rate at defined resolution is beyond the scope of this standard.