Importance of sprayer inspection

Technical Inspection Program for Sprayers, started in 2008, finds eight years after the first inspection that little or nothing has improved in the condition of the machines evaluated.

Even though the effectiveness of the pesticides currently offered is great, the deposition of these products through the means and forms of application used is inefficient, as the best technique or application equipment is often not used.

The use of poorly adjusted agricultural sprayers, with inadequate or worn spray tips, and the use of excessive doses of pesticides are some of the factors that contribute to inefficient applications and impact on the environment. Agricultural sprayers are equipment that must always be in good condition to avoid problems of environmental contamination and intoxication of workers involved in the operation. One of the ways to avoid these problems is to carry out an adequate review, maintenance and calibration of this equipment during the period of its use.

To verify the correct functioning and use of sprayers in the pesticide application processes, methods have been developed to assess the quality of this equipment. One solution found has been the periodic inspection of these machines. Several agents involved in research and extension have developed periodic inspection methods, some with a particular methodology and others tending to standardize procedures.

The implementation of the methodology described in the set of procedures contained in the ISO 16122 Standard for inspection of agricultural sprayers is a promising alternative with regard to reducing pesticide losses and consequent environmental contamination and intoxication of the agents involved. The result of improving and adapting the conditions of the machines is increased efficiency in controlling the biological target.

Depending on the country or region, inspections of agricultural sprayers can be carried out on a mandatory or voluntary basis, however, until then there were differences in the methodologies used to evaluate these sprayers. Some developed countries, such as those that make up the European Union, adopted the EN 13790 standard, which defined the procedure to be used in inspections, independently determining the performance of sprayer parts, diagnosing items and separating defects at each point evaluated into categories. .

Therefore, after the publication of the European Standard for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides, the new series of international standards ISO 16122 was created, with the aim of standardizing the methodology used to inspect sprayers worldwide. As a result, the different bodies responsible for the member states of the European Union have accredited bodies for the certification of spraying equipment, as in these countries all agricultural sprayers must be subject to a careful assessment. In this sense, depending on the non-conformity presented, it may be rejected and no longer carry out the spraying activity if it presents a lack of safety for the operator or risk of contamination to humans and the environment.

The excessive use of pesticides to protect plants is not only uneconomical, but also causes adverse consequences for human health, the environment and agriculture. To carry out precise spraying, sprayers must always be in good condition, and this factor is directly related to their maintenance. With the precariousness found in agricultural machinery used for spraying pesticides, there is a need for careful assessments to be carried out on this equipment.

In this sense, aiming to contribute to minimizing losses, reducing errors in pesticide applications and consequently reducing environmental contamination, in the region covered by the Federal University of Santa Maria, in 2008, the Agrotechnology laboratory (Agrotec), linked to the Agricultural Machinery Testing Center (Nema), implemented the Technical Inspection of Agricultural Sprayers project in Rio Grande do Sul, under the coordination of professor José Fernando Schlosser. In the first phase, the coverage was the Central Depression region of Rio Grande do Sul. The objective of this project was to collect data regarding the state of use and conservation of sprayers, guide farmers on the regulation and calibration of equipment, organize the inspection methodology and georeference the properties for future work. This work was led by agronomist Marçal Elizandro de Carvalho Dornelles. The first stage of this project took place in 16 municipalities, totaling the inspection of 84 agricultural sprayers in use in the Central Depression region. The crops served by the inspected machines corresponded to approximately 23,2 thousand hectares of sown area including soybeans, rice, corn and wheat.

Of the 84 sprayers evaluated, only 21,4% had been used for up to five years, 25% had been used for five to ten years, 16,7% had been used for ten to 15 years and 36,9% had been used for more than 15 years. The oldest machine in operation was 41 years old and the average use of sprayers was 17,3 years (Dornelles, 2008).

When evaluating the sprayers' pressure gauge, Dornelles (2008) observed that 20,5% of the sprayers did not have this item, 30,1% of the machines had inoperative pressure gauges and 49,4% had this item in operation, but only 19,05, XNUMX% of these were approved after evaluations of pressure readings, external diameter and glycerin level.

After the inspection of these 84 sprayers, the project was concluded with the finding that the condition of the sprayers was found to be critical in terms of conservation, since only four sprayers were approved for use. The others evaluated presented one or more nonconformities that required correction, and 60,71% of the sprayers presented serious nonconformities.

Subsequently, in 2012, the second stage of the project was carried out, returning to the rural companies evaluated in 2008 and the sprayers underwent another inspection phase, to verify their condition. This stage was coordinated by agronomist André Luis Casali, who, in addition to evaluating the sprayers, covered the tractors used to activate the sprayers, checking their state of use. Although significant improvements were expected in the sprayers inspected, this was not confirmed, with the exception of new equipment that replaced those that were discarded.

The results show that there is a need for more in-depth monitoring of users of this equipment in the region, which allows producers to be convinced of the need to carry out pesticide spraying activities correctly, with appropriate and calibrated equipment. In this way, there may be better control of the biological target, less waste of phytosanitary products, which will consequently reduce the cost of the activity, as well as environmental contamination.

With the aim of continuing the inspection activities of agricultural sprayers, UFSM, through the Agrotechnology Laboratory, is beginning the third stage of the project by starting to carry out periodic inspections using the procedures set out in the ISO 16122 standard. , specific equipment was purchased for the application of the ISO standard, from the Belgian company Innovation Technology Environment Quality (Iteq).

The third phase of the periodic inspection project was called Agricultural Sprayer Inspection Project (Pipa) and began in November 2015. Visits are carried out in rural companies and, when possible, sprayers are gathered in predetermined locations, for serial evaluation . This phase of the project aims to determine the state of use and conservation of sprayers used in the primary sector, evaluating boom sprayers coupled to the three points of the agricultural tractor, trailed and self-propelled sprayers.

The inspection is carried out with the user's authorization and in the presence of the operator, and firstly the team, the project and the methodology to be used are presented. To carry out the inspections, the technical set for inspection of agricultural sprayers is being used, which was built to meet the requirements of the ISO 16122 standard. This equipment has electronic devices to determine the flow rate of the spray tips, digital sensors for calibration, system pressure gauges and bench for measuring pressure gauges.

The system used allows the storage of internal pressure and flow data from the spray tips. Subsequently, by communication via Wi-Fi with Iteq software Communication API Sample version 1.0.2, the backup is performed on a computer, forming an information bank of the evaluated sprayers.

Inspections are carried out through qualitative and quantitative assessments. Among the quantitative surveys, information corresponding to the sprayer's actual application volume, flow rate and condition of the nozzles, spray pump pressure and flow system, spacing between nozzles and pressure gauge measurement is taken. Qualitative surveys are related to information on cardan tree protection, presence of leaks, pesticide residues, deposits of syrup and clean water, filters, hoses and records. In this way, the presence, state of conservation and use of the parts that make up the sprayers are taken into account.

The classification of each sprayer into classes results from its level of compliance with the criteria of the ISO 16122 Standard (2015), with each equipment being classified into three classes: full compliance, partial compliance and non-conformity. When classified as partially compliant or non-compliant, a clarification is made to the person responsible for the equipment regarding what measures can be taken to correct the negative points found. This determination is related to the risk it presents to the environment, the operator or influence on operational efficiency. After being inspected, the sprayers receive an identification of compliance with their registration number and date on which the inspection was carried out (Figure 1), thus enabling control in a database of equipment already inspected. This database contains the identification of the sprayer, its brand, date of inspection, compliance with the ISO standard and geographic coordinates of the property. The owner of the equipment is given a technical report, which contains data on the inspection, non-conformities observed and measures to be taken to correct them.

After the data collection activities, they are tabulated and analyzed so that at the end the inspection report is delivered to the representative and the sprayers are labeled according to their classification. The report is delivered by the person responsible for the assessment, and it contains information about the sprayers, their conformities and non-conformities with the methodology of the ISO 16122 Standard. At this point, information is exchanged seeking to resolve doubts that owners and applicators may have regarding the their machines and formal thanks are given for the availability of their time and machine.

The development of the agricultural sprayer inspection project is showing good acceptability among rural producers, which proves the viability of the activities and denotes interest in finding out about appropriate practice.

The technical set used to inspect sprayers allows precise assessments of the spraying process, thus making it possible to conduct this project.

This third phase shows that there is a need to continue inspections of agricultural sprayers, since to date there has been no total compliance of any sprayer with the criteria adopted by the ISO 16122 Standard, making it possible to observe that the conditions of use and conservation of the Rated sprayers are critical.

Alfran Tellechea Martini, José Fernando Schlosser, Marcelo Silveira de Farias, Luis Fernando de Oliveira, Daniela Herzog, Agrotec/Nema - UFSM

Article published in issue 163 of Cultivar Máquinas.