The following must be taken into consideration when applying post-harvest fungicides using atomizers:
- Residue limits must not be exceeded.
- Mix fungicides properly before application. Shake the bottle vigorously before use. The active ingredient must be fully in suspension before use. Mix the correct volume of fungicide with a small amount of water at first, stir, and then add and mix with full amount of water.
- The fungicide mix must be agitated properly during use, to prevent settling of the active ingredient in the bottom of the tank.
- Calibrate the atomiser to the above specifications.
- Make sure that fungicide is spread evenly over the entire application surface (from side to side) if applied on the pack-line.
- The atomiser must switch off when the pack line stops, to avoid over application.
- As there are various atomisers available, residues must be checked after calibration.
- Research has shown that residue of ± 0.5 to 1ppm is required for effective decay control. If residues are too low after calibration, the most common reason is inadequate deposition or adherence to the fruit surface. Rather increase the volume slightly too improve coverage than increase the concentration.
Further information on fungicides can be sourced on Agri-Intel