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Coverage Critical in SWD Sprays

When controlling spotted wing drosophila, getting coverage into the center of the canopy is critical, according to a report at the 2016 Oregon Blueberry Conference. And, according to Oregon State University entomologist Vaughn Walton, canopy coverage is more consistent with an electrostatic sprayer than with cannon or air blast sprayers.

The electrostatic sprayer also had lower aerial dispersion of pesticides and was second to the cannon sprayer in lowest ground deposition, Walton said.

“Less of the compound tends to be landing on the ground when you are using the cannon sprayer,” he said. “Then you have the electrostatic sprayer, and ground deposition was highest with the air blast sprayer.”

In researching spray technology, Walton found that spotted wing survival rates generally are higher in the middle of a blueberry canopy, where temperatures are generally milder than on the extremes of a canopy.

Researchers used food dye in the sprayer and placed spray cards at different sites inside and outside the blueberry canopy to decipher how well the different sprayer technologies performed in terms of coverage.

The results showed that spray width was wider with the cannon sprayer than with the air blast and electrostatic sprayer, but compound deposition was slightly lower. “We got on average the highest deposition with electrostatic,” Walton said.

The researchers used an electrostatic sprayer from On Target Spray Systems of Mount Angel in the experiment.

He added that the research showed higher aerial drift with the cannon sprayer than with the electrostatic sprayer. “You’re getting significantly lower air drift with the electrostatic,” he said. Aerial drift with the air blast was similar to the cannon sprayer, he said.


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