FIELD TESTS OF RUBBER DISC FLOW-REGULATORS ON COMPRESSION SPRAYERS.

As part of a WHO project for the evaluation of spraying equipment for use in malaria eradication campaigns, field trials were carried out in Northern Nigeria which confirmed the potential usefulness of rubber disc flow-regulators on compression sprayers. In these trials the operational characteristics of disc regulators were compared with those of mechanical regulators. Although the scale of the tests was too small to indicate the financial implications of the widespread use of disc regulators, some valid quantitative data were obtained on constancy of flow rate, liquid distribution, tendency to clog, and other factors. The greatest advantage of the rubber disc regulator for the field operator is its simplicity; it has, however, two disadvantages as compared with the mechanical regulator: it tends to clog more frequently with debris and it is rather easily lost when spraying apparatus is being cleaned.