GCTV14 DRT - Holger Tank
Narrator: Tony Crowley The time is right for chemical manufacturers
and spray regulatory authorities to reach a better understanding on Drift Reducing Technologies
according to a research scientist with one of the world's largest chemical companies.
Holgar Tank, a formulations specialist at Dow AgroSciences made the comment while taking
part in a three day DRT workshop in Queensland. The workshop was designed to give regulators
an opportunity to learn more about Australian research into and development of improved
drift reduction
Holger Tank: Research Fellow Dow AgroSciences There is a lot of development going on here
in Australia and in New Zealand, the regulatory authority is trying to develop guide lines
on how to evaluate drift reduction technology and how to incorporate that into the buffer
zone guidelines and so on so I think its the right time for us really to get in now and
try to work with the regulators to help them understand the formulation technology that
we bring forward. So that can be incorporated as a regulation is being worked on.
Narrator: Mandatory no spray or buffer zones are under
review globally and this was one of the drivers for Dow AgroSciences to include DRT into their
new formulations.
Holger Tank: Really some of the biggest challenges were
that it has to be robust, it has to be very robust in the sense our products have varying
use rates and there'll be different spray volumes are being used so it has to work over
a wide range of different concentrations. And the other big challenge was all our products
are going to be tank mixed so the robustness in tank mixes was a real challenge for us.
But I believe now we have technology that is very robust.
Narrator: Emulsion forming technology is what Dow has
gone with and the first formulation to incorporate the technology is its oldest formulation 2,4-D.
Holger Tank: Yeah you are right its 65 years old but in
the US we have a new trait that our scientists developed, the Enlist trait, which provides
resistance to 2,4-D so we are planning to launch that in corn and soybeans and cotton
in the US and Latin America. So we wanted to have a new formulation to go along with
our trait but specifically we wanted to overcome some of the issues with applying 2,4-D over
the top of crops, which is a new use, totally new use for 2,4-D. We wanted to address any
potential for drift and we wanted to build it into the formulation so we always have
it when the products supplied, we are not relying on tank mix additives things like
that. So that was the reason we focused on 2,4-D.
Narrator: Early proofing of the new formulation was
done here at the university of Queenslands Gatton wind tunnel.
Dow is the first company to launch a formulation with built-in low drift technology and the
enhanced product is nearing release in the Americas.
Holger Tank: Just a few weeks ago we received a draft label
from the USEPA and the biggest factor is on the buffer zone so the draft label shows a
30 foot buffer zone for our product whereas its 250 feet for generic 2,4-D. So that is
a pretty significant improvement, and a significant advantage for the growers having a much reduced
buffer zone.
Narrator: Industry working to reduce spray drift and
regulators recognising the advances by prescribing buffer zones to reward best practice is what
the workshop aimed to foster and from this scientists point of view the time really is
right for that to happen.