The Cost of Misapplication of Herbicides

Authors

Robert Grisso, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityFollow
Elbert C. Dickey, University of Nebraska at LincolnFollow
Larry D. Schulze, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

1989

Citation

Applied Engineering in Agriculture, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 344-47, 1989.

Comments

Copyright 1989 The American Society of Agricultural Engineers

Abstract

A field survey of 103 private herbicide applicators was conducted during the spring of 1986 in 12 central and eastern Nebraska counties. The results showed that only 30% of the cooperators were applying herbicides within 5% of their intended application rate. Twenty-six percent of the cooperators over-applied herbicides during a single application, with an average cost due to misapplication of $3.11/ha ($1.26/a). If these values were extended over Nebraska, $4.26 million are expended for extra herbicides which were not necessary. The average cost of over application was in excess of $570 per application. Forty-four percent of the cooperators under-applied herbicides spending $3.06/ha ($1.24/a) less than anticipated. However, neither of these values include the potential cost of crop or environmental damages, or possible crop yield reductions due to improper rate of herbicide application.