Home
Focus
How to choose a pump for agricultural spraying

How to choose: the right pump for agricultural spraying

In farming the pump is the heart of every treatment: distribution quality, pressure stability and the life of the whole system depend on it. But the right pump for boom spraying on field crops is not necessarily the right one for orchard and vineyard spraying. Here is how to find your way, starting from what the treatment actually needs rather than from the data sheet.

One fixed point: in this field the diaphragm pump is the reference technology, because its membranes isolate the mechanical parts from the liquid and stand up to aggressive, corrosive agricultural chemicals. That is why it powers both machines for boom spraying and those for orchard and vineyard spraying.

Boom spraying and orchard spraying do not ask for the same thing

The first distinction is the working pressure. Boom spraying on field crops, with a boom and flat fan nozzles, works at moderate pressure: what matters is delivering an even, steady volume without atomizing the liquid too finely. Spraying orchards, vineyards and olive groves, on the other hand, often calls for higher pressure, to reach the canopy and break the product into a fine mist.

In practice: for boom spraying you want a pump that favors flow rate and steady delivery at low pressure; for tree and vine spraying, a pump that can raise the pressure while holding the flow. Deciding the prevailing use first prevents oversizing or, worse, coming up short.

The criteria that matter

Three parameters guide the decision, in this order:

Flow rate, in liters per minute, should be calculated from the boom width or the number of nozzles, the forward speed and the volume of product per hectare. It is the first figure to fix. In diaphragm pumps, flow rate grows with the number of membranes, which can range from two to six.
Maximum working pressure depends on the treatment and the nozzle type: choose a pump that covers the required pressure with margin, rather than one always working at its limit.
The type of drive, finally, shapes the mechanics: a tractor power take off, an electric motor or a combustion engine each change the coupling and the running speed.

Chemical compatibility: the most underestimated factor

Herbicides, liquid fertilizers and pesticides are chemically aggressive. The choice of the materials in contact, that is membranes, heads, valves and seals, determines the life of the pump. Quality diaphragm pumps use membranes made of special compounds and corrosion resistant heads precisely for this reason. Checking compatibility with the products you will actually use matters more than any other specification: a pump that is perfect on paper but incompatible with the formulation wears out quickly.

Pressure control

A good pump performs at its best only with the right pressure control unit. This is the component that stabilizes the pressure, manages the return to the tank and protects the system from spikes. Matching the pump with suitable pressure control units is part of the choice, not a secondary accessory: it affects both the uniformity of the treatment and the safety of the operator.

The choice in five questions

To choose well, reason in this sequence:

What is the prevailing treatment, boom spraying or orchard spraying?
What flow rate do I need?
What flow rate do I need?
With which chemicals?
With which drive?

Almost everything follows from there: the number of membranes, the materials and the pressure control unit.

The full range of pumps designed for these uses is in the diaphragm pumps section; if you have doubts about compatibility or sizing, our technicians can help you find the model best suited to your machine.