If you double the speed of application equipment, what happens to the application rate?

• A. It doubles
• B. It halves
• C. It remains the same
• D. It quadruples

Answer: (B)

When you think about application rate, it’s how much chemical is applied per unit area, which depends on the spray flow (how much is emitted per minute) and how fast you move over the ground. If you keep the spray flow the same and simply double your speed, you cover twice as much ground in the same amount of time, but the same amount of liquid is being used, so that liquid is spread over a larger area. In other words, gallons per acre drops by half. If you wanted to keep the same rate while moving faster, you’d have to increase the discharge (or adjust nozzle size) to compensate.