| abstract |
A method and apparatus for application of sprout-inhibiting chemical agents to surface-sprouting produce. Liquid sprout-inhibiting chemical such as isopropyl N-3 chlorophenylcarbamate (CIPC), either without solvent or with a relatively small amount of solvent, is atomized at a temperature less than 250° F. to form an aerosol of liquid particles. The aerosol is preferably formed in a fogger having a cylindrical mist chamber in which ultrasonic resonance nozzles atomize the chemical agent. A tangentially introduced air flow and a helical baffle plate in the mist chamber cause centrifugal separation and leave smaller particles near the center of the mist chamber. A chamber contains a supply of sprout-inhibiting chemical and also collects chemical agent of such large particle size that it has been separated from the aerosol. A thermostatically controlled heater located in the sump warms the sprout-inhibiting chemical in the sump to a temperature above ambient but below 250° F. prior to its being pumped to the atomizer nozzles to reduce its viscosity without thereby also decomposing the chemical. |