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Be mindful of temperature inversions when spraying

Farmers should be mindful of temperature inversions when spraying crops.

University of Minnesota Extension educator Ryan Miller says the phenomenon typically causes much more damage than wind-aided drift.

“It’s further distances and wider areas that are impacted, it’s not just along the field margin.  They tend to be pretty dramatic when you have spray drift injury and off-target movement in an inversion.”

Temperature inversions happen when warm, light air rises into the atmosphere while cool air settles near the ground.

Miller tells Brownfield it’s most common at dusk.

“These clear nights (with) light and variable winds, those are going to be the times when we start to think about inversions.  We (might) have a high-pressure system sitting over us and we don’t have any kind of wind.  That’s when we tend to see these things occur.”

Signs of temperature inversions include low-lying fog and dust from gravel that does not dissipate while gradually moving close to the ground.

Miller recommends applicators follow the label and avoid spraying within a few hours of sunset.