Evaluation of Pesticide Application Equipment Efficiency for Pests Control and Safety of the users, a Review

The technical state of the equipment used for pesticide application could guarantee effectiveness of pesticide and the safety of the users. Different types of nozzles and the portable, tractor-drawn and aerial equipment are deployed through alternative methods of application. In particular, more vital information is needed to ensure better choice of equipment, especially the nozzles, and calibration to ensure the correct dosage is applied. More concern for inherent danger has engendered health and safety legislation leading towards linking packaging of pesticides with the application equipment to provide a closed transfer system minimizing operator exposure. Synthetic pesticides are extensively deployed in the control of harmful pests and thus prevent crop yield losses or product damage in modern agriculture. Therefore pesticide of high biological activity usually exhibited long persistence in the environment and caused undesirable effects to human health. However, farmers may be exposed to the effect of pesticides even when performing activities not directly related to pesticide use. Hence, farmers can face major exposure from manual direct spray, drift from neighboring fields, or by contact with pesticide residues on the treated crop or soil. Production of cash crop is still dependent on pesticides to attain acceptable levels of high crop yield. However, poor insecticide coverage resulting from the use of inefficient application equipment, wrong timing, irregularity and wrong technique of spraying are capable of accelerating the rate at which insects develop resistance to insecticides. Hence, along with the screening of new insecticides, fungicides and herbicides, new spraying pumps are usually evaluated by the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), for their efficiency before they are recommended for use in the application of cocoa pesticides and spraying equipment in Nigeria.