Reducing pesticide drift into the hedgerow by the inclusion of an unsprayed field margin.

Abstract

Two approaches are described for the forecasting of annual deposition rates of pesticide drift into field margins. Firstly, the cumulative annual level of deposition is calculated from experimental results which measured the proportion of the applied spray impinging on the hedgerow. Secondly, the maximum and minimum boundaries of annual drift deposition are estimated from data collected in an assessment of spatial variation in drift. Both techniques reveal the potential for reducing drift by the use of unsprayed headland strips.