Comparison Trials of Various Motorised Knapsack Mistblowers at The Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana

Abstract

As a sequel to the work carried out in 1968, and the appendix to the Fourth Quarterly Report of the International Capsid Research Team of that year, further information was required on the performance and efficiency of the mistblowers in current use. With this as the primary objective, a programme was arranged to compare a number of mistblowers, for performance and efficiency and more important, the ability to place a toxic quantity of insecticide in all parts of the cocoa tree to control capsid infestation. There are several spray programmes being carried out at the Institute and the equipment in use is similar to that used by farmers for capsid control.

For the purpose of the comparison trials, seven mistblowers were taken from the workshop stores and this number included four that are normally in use for routine spraying. The eighth machine was new and of a type submitted for tests in 1968 to the Chief Cocoa Officer and his staff, as part of an offer to tender. Two were of the same type as originally sold to farmers under the government subsidy scheme about 1960 and had been in use continually from that date. Four of the machines had been repaired several times and in several instances, improvised patching had been carried out. Whilst it can be accepted that all the mistblowers selected could deliver insecticide to hand-height, which is the extent of the capsid assessment count, the information required was, how far up in the canopy would the machines deliver the spray. In brief, were the machines at present being used by individual farmers, capable of applying insecticides at varying heights of cocoa trees, to give adequate control of the capsids. With this object being the first priority, various tests were devised to ascertain the efficiency and performance of each machine. Throughout the trials each machine was designated by a letter and this will be used in all references in this report.

This letter code is:—

	A = Kyoritsu DM701 (1969)
	B = Holder Supra (1961)
	C = Solo Port 60. Type 40010 (1964)
	D = Solo Port Super 60 Type 40114 (1969)
	E = Solo Port 423 (1968)
	F = Solo Junior 35 (410) (1963)
	G = Allman L35.R (1969)
	H = KWH. L25 (1960)