GCTV14 Drift Reducing Technologies Pt.2
Narrator: Tony Crowley Spray Drift Reducing Technology comes in many
forms.
In part one of our report we looked at the wind tunnel research taking place at Gatton.
In this second part we�ll look at some of the other develops in drift reducing technology.
Aircraft play a big part in agricultural chemical application.
A plane like this can cost about a million dollars so it is in an operators interest
to equipe it with best practice technology.
Attached below the wing is a rotating spray boom, which allows the pilot to change spray
droplet size in-flight by using angle and air pressure.
Peter Travers: Aerial Spraying Contractor AirAg
We create a different droplet size by putting the angle of the nozzle into the slip stream
that the aeroplane generates, about 250 kilometres an hour, so if the nozzles pointing straight
back you are creating a large droplet and if its pointing down the shatter causes a
very fine droplet, which you might use for insecticides.
Narrator: Supporting the technology is a quality assurance
program and minimum standards for swath width, droplet size and water volumes, something
Peter Travers hopes the regulators can start to take into consideration.
Peter Travers: If a buffer zone is on the label then we must
comply with it and buffer zones have been calculated using worse case scenarios.
So even though we�ve introduced this technology we haven�t got any credit from the regulators
we still have to follow the buffer that are shown on the label.
Narrator: Ground spray application equipment with improved
drift reducing technology was also on display.
This boom spray rig was hauled almost 2,000 kilometres from Adelaide to Gatton just for
an hours demonstration of its auto levelling capability.
William Langdon: Hardi Australia, Adelaide SA
A typical auto height system has sensors out on the wings that measure the ground and can
adjust that wing to suit the level of the ground to keep it at a certain point but its
generally controlled by the level of the tractor.
This system is independent of the machine now so the boom can do whatever it wants and
however it has to do it to keep itself level.
Narrator: Looking on was US research scientist Holger
Tank who works for the Dow chemical company.
His expertise is developing new formulations and most recently that has meant including
drift reducing technology into those formulations.
Holgar Tank: Research Fellow Dow AgroSciences We need to understand where opportunities
are for these types of technologies and particularly here with the workshop trying to understand
how this would be seen by the regulatory authorities.
How they would actually recognise the drift reduction technology that is built into a
formulation verses nozzle technology or tank mix additives also.
Narrator: Local scientists too were positive about the
Gatton field trip and the three-day DRT workshop.
Andrew Hewitt: Centre for Pesticide Application & Safety, Uni of Qld
we�re doing a lot of ground breaking work here in Australia but there�s also a lot
of ground breaking work in other countries.
And through the coming together of Europe, America, Australia, New Zealand this week
we�ve been able to learn from each other how we can improve our spray process and understanding
the spray process.
I think from a regulatory point of view Australia is now able to look at the schemes in other
countries and what the implications are of those schemes on Australia and now make a
much better judgement on what will work here and more importantly what will not work.
Narrator: What the National Working Party for Pesticide
Application had set out to do was give regulators the opportunity to meet researchers and developers
of drift reducing technologies.
Gavan Cattanach believes it will make a difference.
Gavan Cattanach: Independent Chair National Working Party on Pesticide Application
I�m quietly confident that the regulator has understood the concerns of farmers and
they are working on a system that will be much fairer but still protect the wider environment
and they have to do that, that is their job.
Narrator: GRDC has already provided a million dollars
for DRT research and another million has been allocated for future support.
Especially into development of Drift Reducing Technologies that help improve the on-target
efficacy of sprays.
As well as the technical information the visiting regulators were given the opportunity to see
and discuss the technology can only improve the likelihood of a positive outcome for all
parties with an interest in DRTs and spray buffer zones.
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