(The following is from the New Products Discussion featured at the Thirteenth Annual National Roadside Vegetation Management Association Meeting Proceedings, Oct 16-18, 1996.)

A unique spray nozzle which produces small, uniform droplets, is combined with a patented spray fluid that controls drift, covers plant foliage, and eliminates evaporation of airborne sprays. The System permits uniform, low volume application with the RADIARC® Sprayer, with backpack sprayers equipped with THINVERT® nozzles, or with the new THINVERT® Widecast™ Nozzle. Low volume THINVERT sprays can be used to control roadside brush, guiderail vegetation, broadleaf weeds in turf, perennial weeds, or weeds in ornamental beds, at spray volumes of 5 gal/A.

Garion/Escort applications to roadside berms in PA applied in THINVERT at 5 gal/A controlled tall-growing annual and perennial broadleaf weeds with no injury to grasses. Canal bank applications controlled problem broadleaf weeds and brush, but left grassy vegetation, and maintained a safe separation from the canal water.

2,4-D, dicamba, Triclopyr, and Clopyralid have been used alone and in combinations to control problem broadleaf weeds in roadside and fine turf. Applications to DOT rights-of-way in PA, DE, and NY have controlled annuals, biennials and perennials.

The THINVERT Application System has been used to apply picloram and glyphosate to noxious weeds on railroad rights-of-way in mountain and western states since 1994. THINVERT spray volume used has varied from 4 to 7 gal/A with excellent results and no off-target injury reported. THINVERT® Widecast™ Nozzles, used with a THINVERT spray emulsion, are designed to apply a spray swath up to 20 feet wide. The Widecast Nozzle will apply spray volumes of 3 to 5 gallons per acre (28 to 50 l/ha) uniformly, while minimizing the formation of fine particles which will drift.

Uses for the THINVERT® Widecast™ Nozzle Include:

• Weed control in fine turf

• Railroad ballast and berm weed control

• Noxious weed control

• Brush control on utility rights-of-way

• Roadside weed and brush control

• Aquatic and marginal weed control

THINVERT Widecast sprays can be applied using motorized backpack sprayers, electric diaphragm pumps, or conventional positive displacement pumps.

Optimum spray pressure is about 60 psi, while maximum swath width can be obtained at pressures of 80-90 psi. The use of THINVERT Deposition Aid with the THINVERT Widecast nozzle controls spray drift even at spray pressures which are considered high for conventional nozzles.

Because of the low spray volumes required for adequate vegetation management, the THINVERT Application System can be adapted to backpack sprayers, ATVs, and medium duty tractors, trucks and on-track vehicles.