Avoid Inversions When Spraying Weeds

By Jim Steadman|June 19, 2017

Too much early season rainfall and the need to “catch up” on weed control are suspected as two of the primary reasons behind multiple reports pf dicamba drift problems in the upper Mid-South.

Although growers may be following guidelines for proper dicamba application, they may also be working in conditions conducive to inversions, which can hold dicamba droplets in the air and allow them to move when winds return.

“Typically, the air column is cooler at higher altitudes and warmer at the ground,” explains Dr. Larry Steckel, University of Tennessee Extension weed specialist, in a new post on the UTcrops News Blog. “In an inversion, the air is warmer up high and cooler at the ground. Small droplets will hang in that cool air, and they can go anywhere on a light breeze.”

In the video, Steckel helps growers identify the conditions when inversions are more likely and offers tips for application timing in these early summer months.