Output Variation of Trigger Pump Sprayers used for Individual Plant Treatments

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Stephen F Enloe ◽  
James K Leary ◽  
Kenzie Bell ◽  
Dwight K Lauer

Individual plant treatment (IPT) techniques (e.g., basal bark, cut stump, hack and squirt) are used for woody invasive plant management and often rely on small trigger pump spray bottles as an economical and efficient way to deliver an herbicide to the target species. Worldwide, plastic suppliers produce many models and designs with a wide range of uses including pesticide application. However, spray bottle performance has rarely been examined in relation to IPT techniques for operational invasive plant management. We tested ten commonly available spray bottles for trigger output and variation over repeated strokes. We also examined sustained trigger sprayer performance over a six-week period for spray bottles containing water or basal oil carriers, blended with amine and ester formulations of triclopyr, respectively. In the first study, we found significant differences in spray output per stroke between almost every bottle tested. Almost all spray bottle brands yielded outputs greater than 1.0 ml per stroke which exceeds the maximum application amount specified for hack and squirt. Several bottles produced an output of greater than 2.5 ml per stroke. In the second study, the output per stroke was reduced for basal oil mixes, with significant reductions measured for two brands by 21 days and for all three brands tested by 42 days after mixing. These results indicate that consumer-grade trigger sprayers are likely to depreciate rapidly with routine operational use without proper hygiene maintenance. Even then it is likely that these application devices may need to be replaced several times annually. Trigger pump spray bottles are an economical and practical solution for remote field operation and volunteer weed control activities. These sprayers are most suitable for spray-to-wet techniques such as basal bark and cut surface treatments but may potentially be less suited for hack and squirt application which often requires sub-ml precision.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 951-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Atchison ◽  
Lesley Head

Weed Science ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 626-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk W. Davies ◽  
Roger L. Sheley

Controlling invasive plant infestations is very costly and often unsuccessful. Preventing invasions is more cost-effective than controlling invasive plants after they are established. Because prevention guidelines do not suggest any tools or methods to limit wind dispersal of invasive plant seeds, we investigated the influence of neighboring vegetation height on seed dispersal of a wind-dispersed (yellow salsify) and nonwind-dispersed (medusahead) species. To examine the influence of neighboring vegetation height on dispersal, seeds of both species were released in front of an artificial stand of desert wheatgrass in a modified wind tunnel. Treatments were a complete factorial design with two species, four vegetation heights (10, 30, 40, and 60 cm), three wind speeds (3, 5.5, and 10 km h−1), and three release distances from the neighboring vegetation (0, 15, and 30 cm). The ability of medusahead and yellow salsify seeds to disperse was influenced by the height of neighboring vegetation. Increasing height of neighboring vegetation decreased the number of yellow salsify seeds dispersing across neighboring vegetation. The greatest percentage of medusahead seeds dispersed across the neighboring vegetation was at the shortest height. Based on these results, we suggest that maintaining or promoting tall vegetation neighboring invasive plant infestations may reduce wind dispersal of seeds. More research is needed to investigate the influence of varying heights, densities, structural attributes, and composition of vegetation neighboring infestations and the dispersal of invasive plants.


Rangelands ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 6-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger L. Sheley ◽  
Brenda S. Smith

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-113
Author(s):  
Scott R. Abella ◽  
Lindsay P. Chiquoine ◽  
Jeremy M. Moss ◽  
Eric D. Lassance ◽  
Charles D. Schelz

AbstractThere is a continual need for invasive plant science to develop approaches for cost-effectively benefiting native over nonnative species in dynamic management and biophysical contexts, including within predominantly nonnative plant landscapes containing only small patches of native plants. Our objective was to test the effectiveness of a minimal-input strategy for enlarging native species patches within a nonnative plant matrix. In Pecos National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA, we identified 40 native perennial grass patches within a matrix of the nonnative annual forb kochia [Bassia scoparia (L.) A.J. Scott]. We mechanically cut B. scoparia in a 2-m-wide ring surrounding the perimeters of half the native grass patches (with the other half as uncut controls) and measured change in native grass patch size (relative to pretreatment) for 3 yr. Native grass patches around which B. scoparia was cut grew quickly the first posttreatment year and by the third year had increased in size four times more than control patches. Treated native grass patches expanded by an average of 25 m2, from 4 m2 in October 2015 before treatment to 29 m2 in October 2018. The experiment occurred during a dry period, conditions that should favor B. scoparia and contraction of the native grasses, suggesting that the observed increase in native grasses occurred despite suboptimal climatic conditions. Strategically treating around native patches to enlarge them over time showed promise as a minimal-input technique for increasing the proportion of the landscape dominated by native plants.


AoB Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda J Grewell ◽  
Caryn J Futrell ◽  
Maria T Iannucci ◽  
Rebecca E Drenovsky

Abstract Non-native aquatic Ludwigia species from a polyploid complex are among the world’s most problematic invasive plants. These emergent, floating-leaved species respond to disturbance through fragmentation of shoots and/or rhizomes, spreading rapidly by hydrochorous dispersal and posing challenges for invasive plant management. While recruitment of clonal aquatic plant species from shoot fragmentation is well documented, regeneration from rhizome bud banks, although common, often is overlooked. It is further unclear how interactions among ploidy and resource availability influence regeneration success of rhizome fragments. We conducted a full factorial experiment in aquatic mesocosms to compare trait responses of Ludwigia congeners differing in ploidy (diploid, decaploid) grown from clonal rhizome fragments under contrasting soil nutrient availability (low, high). Similar to previous work with shoot fragments, the diploid congener had a higher relative growth rate and produced more biomass than the decaploid during this establishment stage of growth. High growth rates and biomass production were associated with greater rhizome N and P and reduced investment in belowground structures. Comparing these results to previous shoot fragment studies with Ludwigia, rhizome fragments appear to have much greater growth potential, suggesting that management strategies should minimize disturbance to prevent fragmentation and dispersal of belowground structures. Furthermore, rapid response to newly colonizing diploid invaders will be essential to minimizing spread, and reductions in nutrient loads to aquatic environments may be more effective toward controlling establishment of the diploid congener than the decaploid.


2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 1013-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Cole ◽  
J. R. King ◽  
D. A. Oyarzun ◽  
T. H. Dietzler ◽  
A. S. McClay

A number of invasive plant management strategies, including competition, fertilizer, herbicide, combination of fertilizer and herbicide, biological control, mowing, grazing management, prevention, eradication and education have been investigated and employed in Alberta. The integrated weed management (IWM) strategies are overlapping, interconnected and based on ecological principles. Research on several invasive plant species, including ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare Lam.), scentless chamomile [Tripleurospermum perforatum (Mérat) Laínz] and white cockle [Silene pratensis (Raf.) Godr. & Gren.] has provided ecological information showing the importance of maintaining healthy, competitive plant communities. Key words: Invasive plants, management, ox-eye daisy, competition, Alberta


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro M. Antunes ◽  
Brandon Schamp

Prevention, early detection, rapid response, and prioritization are essential components of effective and cost-efficient invasive plant management. However, successfully implementing these strategies requires the ability to accurately predict the temporal and spatial dynamics of newly/recently detected nonnative species. Why some nonnative species become invasive and the source of variation in lag time between arrival and the onset of invasive expansion are poorly understood. One tool to fill these knowledge gaps is the “invasion curve,” which tracks nonnative species abundance (i.e., area invaded) over time after arrival in a new area. Since invasive species curves rely primarily on records from herbarium collections, we propose that these collections can be used as a springboard to develop a standardized approach to building invasion curves. This would allow researchers to compare the trajectories of nonnative species, improving risk assessment and our ability to recognize potential invasive species and factors contributing to both invasibility and invasiveness. While there have been admirable efforts to produce invasion curves, several barriers exist to their reliable production and standardization. In this paper, we explore the challenges related to the efficient production of these curves for plants using herbarium data and suggest ways in which progress could occur. It is our hope that this will better position herbaria and researchers to aid natural resource managers to prioritize needs, make effective management decisions, and develop targeted prevention and monitoring programs by taking advantage of lag times to implement timely responses.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda S. Smith ◽  
Roger L. Sheley

Weed prevention is recognized as one of the most cost-effective management strategies for invasive plants. In the field of invasive plant management increasing emphasis is being directed toward proactive management. However, land managers are still somewhat reluctant to aggressively employ prevention programs. Part of this reluctance could be due to lack of understanding of what a comprehensive prevention program entails. The purpose of this paper is to improve strategic decision-making for site-specific prevention programs, such as those on ranches or in watersheds. Our interest is in advancing prevention planning for land managers—the people who are faced with the constant pressure of potential invasive species infestations on a day-to-day basis. To facilitate more widespread use of prevention programs we are proposing definitions for key terminology to standardize and facilitate communication about prevention programs. Additionally, we present a flow model with the steps necessary to successfully implement such programs. The model has three categories from which specific prevention planning occurs: (1) education, (2) early detection and eradication, and (3) interruption of movement. The flow model directs users through a series of interlinked steps. Finally, we provide a case study in which a ranch manager implemented a prevention program using this framework. By using this model, managers are poised to conduct more strategic planning. This model also has applications in outreach and education programs to assist land managers in prevention planning.


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