Drop Size Distribution from Medium-Sized Agricultural Sprinklers

THE drop size distribution of sprinkler spray is of practical importance for two reasons. First, the small droplets are subject to wind drift, distorting the application pattern. Second, large droplets possess greater kinetic energy which is transferred to the soil surface causing particle dislodgement and puddling that may result in surface crusting and runoff. The drop size distributions from medium-size agricultural sprinklers were measured to study the effects of pressure and nozzle size on the distributions. These are two parameters that farmers can change on existing systems to cope with field problems caused by low intake rates and runoff.