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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #426761
Research Project: Ecological Assessment and Mitigation Strategies to Reduce the Risks of Bees to Stressors in Southern Crop Ecosystems

Location: Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystems Research

Title: Data and code from: selection of the least drifting spray nozzles for pesticide application to protect insect pollinators

Author
item Kannan, Narayanan
item Read, Quentin

Submitted to: Ag Data Commons
Publication Type: Database / Dataset
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/29/2025
Publication Date: 6/9/2025
Citation: Kannan, N., Read, Q.D. 2025. Data and code from: selection of the least drifting spray nozzles for pesticide application to protect insect pollinators. Ag Data Commons. 10:20.

Interpretive Summary: To minimize harm to commercial honeybees and native pollinators, in the Mississippi Delta region and elsewhere, it is vital to minimize the risk of pesticide drift. This dataset is associated with a manuscript that presents the results of a study comparing the spray patterns from 17 different types of spray nozzle. We measured the size and speed of the droplets making up the spray from each type of nozzle, at a variety of different pressure settings and at different heights. The dataset includes the raw observations from each of the nozzle types, as well as summary statistics calculated from the observations. The summary statistics include percentiles of size and speed to show how much volume was composed of small, medium, and large droplets. The dataset also includes R statistical software code to produce the summary statistics from the data, make figures to visualize the patterns, and fit statistical models to compare the trends between nozzles. Our findings are practically useful for stakeholders who are interested in selecting the best nozzle both for reducing waste of pesticides and reducing harm to pollinators.

Technical Abstract: Pesticide exposure, including off-target drift, is troubling the thriving beekeeping industry in Mississippi. The selection of the least drifting spray nozzle(s) is one way to protect insect pollinators. This dataset is associated with a manuscript presenting the results of a study whose major goal was to identify nozzles with low drift for pesticide spray applications. Specifically, we a) observed the size, speed and flow rate data from seventeen broadcast nozzles; b) estimated the proportion of spray volume with driftable size droplets; c) estimated the size and speed relationships for all the nozzles. These results enabled us to identify the nozzles that are less likely to drift during pesticide applications. The dataset includes raw observations for each nozzle at pressures ranging from 30-50 psi and at 1” height intervals from 9” to 20”, by droplet diameter class. It also includes summary statistics calculated from the data, specifically volume-based percentiles by diameter and by speed, Sauter mean diameter, and proportion of droplets < 150 µm diameter. In addition, we include R statistical software code to calculate the summary statistics, create data visualizations, fit linear models comparing the summary statistics by nozzle type within and across pressure levels, and fit a nonlinear Bayesian regression comparing the maximum slope of the size by speed relationship for each nozzle. The findings we present here may be beneficial to producers for selecting the nozzle that is optimal for both increasing the efficiency of pesticide application and minimizing collateral damage to honeybees and other pollinators.