Your tank may be clean, but is it All Clear 2X clean?
Spray equipment contamination is one of the most underestimated causes of crop damage in agriculture.
That’s the sobering message from Pieter Van Der Westhuizen, UPL New Zealand’s technical market development manager and adjuvant expert. He says a classic example is a maize crop that was sprayed for broadleaf weeds with a highly selective post emergence herbicide. Unfortunately, the maize was also taken out. The culprit? Clethodim residue in the tank.
Van Der Westhuizen says even trace amounts of crop protection products left behind in tanks, hoses, filters, screens, booms and nozzles can cause significant damage when spraying subsequent crops. “Herbicide residues such as glyphosate, dicamba, 2,4-D, sulfonylureas, flumetsulam and carfentrazone-ethyl can persist in spray systems and contaminate future spray loads, resulting in crop damage, reduced yields and quality, rejected produce, and costly re-sprays.
“As New Zealand farmers, growers and spray contractors increasingly rotate between herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators and foliar fertilisers, the risk of spray tank contamination has never been greater.”
Van Der Westhuizen says with more than a thousand ACVM-registered crop protection products in use in New Zealand, effective sprayer decontamination is an essential part of a robust spray programme.
“Cleaning spray tanks with laundry powder or ammonia is not going to remove every trace of spray – that’s simply not what they’re formulated to do. You may think the tank is clean, but products can still be there – even in small amounts, and that’s where the risk lies. All Clear 2X is the insurance policy spray contractors can’t afford not to have.”
Van Der Westhuizen says All Clear 2X will out-perform ordinary tank cleaners on the widest range of agricultural chemicals, even commonly used products which are notoriously “sticky”, or difficult to remove.
All Clear 2X is a specifically formulated, non-corrosive spray tank cleaner and decontaminator, designed to remove any agrichemical residues from the entire spray system. Its unique three-way mode of action combines surfactants, sequestrants and detergents – all designed to lift residues from surfaces, dissolve deposits and prevent contaminants from reattaching within the spray equipment as well as lock up, break down and neutralise the agrichemical molecules.
Van Der Westhuizen strongly recommends using All Clear 2X whenever changing between products, changing crops, moving from herbicide applications to fungicides or insecticides and for end-of-season sprayer maintenance. By thoroughly cleaning tanks, pumps, hoses, filters, booms and nozzles, he says All Clear 2X reduces the risk of contamination, protects sensitive crops, preserves yield potential and gives contractors, farmers and growers complete confidence that every spray application starts with a clean system.
The recommended way to use All Clear 2X is to drain all equipment immediately after spraying, including tank, hoses and boom. Rinse the inside of the tank with clean water clear of visible residues and flush through hoses and booms using at least 1/10 of the tank spray volume. Fully drain the tank and dispose of the rinsate. Then half-fill the tank with clean water and All Clear 2X at 250 mL per 100 L of the total volume of the tank. Agitate this cleaning mixture in the tank. Flush hoses and booms until cleaning solution starts to come out through all the nozzles. Then keep circulating the cleaning mixture while filling the spray tank to capacity.
“It’s best to leave it to sit overnight,” Van Der Westhuizen says. “That will clean out all the chemicals currently available on the market.”
Pieter says what’s left in the tank is safe to spray out in the yard. All Clear 2X, and adjuvant with no active, is non-corrosive and chlorine and ammonia free.
UPL New Zealand (formerly Etec Crop Solutions NZ) began work on adjuvant development and marketing in this country more than two decades ago. Today, it has a portfolio of over 20 adjuvant products, including All Clear 2X – each fulfilling a niche role.
For more information on All Clear 2X and cross-contamination risks, talk to your local reseller or contact Pieter Van Der Westhuizen, UPL New Zealand adjuvant lead and regional manager Upper North Island, at 021 392 740.