Spraying One of the most effective ways to prevent drift of small droplets is using high-velocity air flow to aid the process of transporting droplets from the nozzle to the target. Several studies have shown that air assistance reduces drift deposits from boom sprayers. Droplets are generated by conventional nozzles using hydraulic pressure.
Nozzles direct the spray droplets into the air jets.
These air jets offer some protection against drift, and improve the penetration of spray into target canopies. As shown in Figure 20, there is less drift from a sprayer when there is air-assistance compared to the same sprayer operating with no air assistance. However the angle and air velocity of the jet must be adjusted to provide optimum results. For example, some studies indicate that more drift can be created by using this type of air-assisted system if high air flow and air velocity is used when spraying ground with no vegetative cover. Air-assist systems provide better coverage with less drift.