The Sprayers is a 32-page, full-color guide designed to help producers make informed crop management decisions. The guide was edited by Kent McVay, MSU Assistant Professor and Extension cropping systems specialist, with the help of MSU Extension specialists in plant pathology, entomology and cropland weeds. The guide was printed with funding from the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee.
The Hand Sprayer includes a brief history and description of hand sprayer, with recommendations on variety selection, tillage, planting dates and rates, weed management, cropping systems, irrigation management, managing plant disease, field diagnostics, and harvesting and handling grain.
Managing wheat disease is an extensive part of the book, with clear color photographs of bacterial, fungal, leaf and head diseases, as well as viral diseases. Insect pests and pesticide recommendations are thoroughly described.
The 20-page Montana Barley Production Guide has also been updated and reprinted. Both guides are available at no cost, and provide references and answers to wheat or barley production needs.
New Hand Sprayer Calibration Pocketguides are available for Hand hand sprayers and for Boom and Broadjet hand sprayers. The guides are printed on weather- and tear-proof paper. Author Cecil Tharp, MSU Extension Pesticide Education Specialist, included information about measuring hand sprayer or nozzle output, correct tank mixing steps, helpful liquid measurement conversions, sample equations and a recommended application rate chart in ounces per acre. The pocketguides are available for 65 cents each.