by BERNARD TOBIN
Stan’s wheat field failed to meet his expectations because he didn't clean out the sprayer tank after applying his weed control.
While the tank only contained 90 to 115 litres (20 to 25 gallons) of the Pardner/MCPA 500/Tilt herbicide and fungicide application, this leftover spray packed enough wallop to injure Stan’s wheat and reduce yields by 50 to 75 per cent.
The big problem was the fact that the tank still contained about 100 to 120 ml of MCPA 500, an estimate based on the amount of leftover spray in the tank. This went back out onto the 23-acre wheat field – at a rate of 5.2 ml per acre – during a critical time in its development.