U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2023





- Facebook Live Events
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- ARS Featured Photos
- Contact OC
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- USDA Blog
- Public Affairs Contacts
- AgResearch Magazine
- ARS Memorial Lectures

Researchers Aim to Reduce Pesticide Drift in the Lower Mississippi Delta For media inquiries contact: Jessica Ryan, (301) 892-0085 March 14, 2023 To reduce the effects of pesticide drift and protect pollinators, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Stoneville, Mississippi, are investigating the best ways of using hooded sprayers and conventional (unhooded) sprayers. Pesticide drift occurs when pesticide dust or droplets move through the air to another place other than the target area during or after pesticide application. This off-target drift can cause crop damage as well as health concerns to humans, animals, and beneficial insects such as bees and biocontrol agents exposed to the chemicals. ARS researcher Narayanan Kannan and his team member Christina Huggins from the ARS Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystems Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi, studied ground-based pre-emergent herbicide applications for corn, soybean, and cotton on three regional, commercial-scale farms and four USDA research farms in Mississippi's Washington and Bolivar counties. After collecting samples of the drifted spray droplets, the researchers calculated the drift volume and drift distance from preemergent herbicide applications. "We found that there was up to 63 percent reduction in pesticide drift of pre-emergent herbicide applications using a hooded sprayer in comparison to a nonhooded, conventional sprayer," said Kannan. Kannan said that hooded or shielded sprayers attached to tractors effectively minimized the exposure of herbicide spray to wind and led to fewer off-target depositions. A tractor with a hooded sprayerA tractor with a hooded sprayer. (Photo by Christina Huggins) While hooded sprayers have advantages, the presence of a physical shield can pose challenges during road transport or repairing nozzles when compared to conventional sprayers. If a farmer does not have access to a hooded sprayer or prefers to use a conventional sprayer, mitigating pesticide drift is still possible by avoiding high wind speed and high temperature during spraying. "For example, our study's results also showed 74 percent reduction in pesticide drift when using a conventional sprayer in low wind conditions, when possible," said Kannan. Researchers also found a reduced proportion of herbicide drifting with a longer sprayer boom length during preemergent herbicide applications. According to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Lower Mississippi Delta is one of the most intensively cultivated and productive agricultural regions in the United States. Corn, soybean, and cotton are the most widely cultivated crops in the region. Studying preemergent herbicide application during active planting months for these crops is important to understanding pesticide drift, as farmers sometimes face limited opportunities to spray as a result of unfavorable weather or wet soil conditions. The recent study was published in *Applied Engineering in Agriculture.* *The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.*


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov