Author: Micron

Formed in April 2011, the James Hutton Institute is a leading, multi-site scientific organisation encompassing a distinctive range of integrated strengths in land, crop, waters, environmental and socio-economic science. It strives to tackle today’s major global issues such as preserving our natural resources, developing next generation crops and delivering sustainable production systems. Based in Dundee and Aberdeen, the Institute has four main farms where most of the laboratory research is put into practice, including pioneering work on a whole range of soft and top fruit.

Hartwood Farm is a 350ha livestock farm in Lanarkshire which undertakes research on soil, land and the environment, with most of the area used for grassland to keep 180 suckler cows and their calves and 460 ewes and lambs.

Glensaugh farm near Fettercairn has just over 1000 hectares and is probably best described as a high lying marginal farm on an upland estate . There is some woodland, around 30 hectares of arable land and over 900 hectares of moorland hinterland supporting 800 ewes, 100 red deer and 50 cows.

The Institute also runs the 100ha Mylnefield and 170ha Balruddery farms near Dundee, which are both managed by Euan Caldwell as one unit. These predominantly arable farms roll over the lower, south facing slopes of the Sidlaw Hills, with heights ranging from 8m above sea level at Mylnefield to 124m above sea level at Balruddery.

With almost 400 separate trials on the go, half of the land area is dedicated to field experiments supporting the study of crops, plants and their interaction with land, soil and the environment. “The plant breeding programmes which we are well renowned for are raspberries, blackcurrants and potatoes, but we also work extensively on blueberries, strawberries, apples, pears and plums amongst other crops,” explains Euan. “The remaining half of the land area is used to grow commercial crops and enables us to return any field that has been used for field trials back to a “blank canvas”. It takes around two years (or more in case of perennial crops) of commercial cropping to remove the footprint of a previous trial before it can be used for experimental purposes again.”

All of the fruit trials and some environmental projects are undertaken at the Mylnefield site at Invergowrie on Dundee’s western fringes, whereas Balruddery Farm is where most of the other crop breeding programmes take place. Balruddery Farm also hosts a long term experimental platform, the 40 hectare Centre for Sustainable Cropping, for research on the sustainability of arable ecosystems.

Euan’s role is to manage the two farms and to co-ordinate the onsite field trials and experiments to enable the scientists to put their “science into practice”. “We are a LEAF farm (Linking Environment And Farming) and are proud to have been the first LEAF innovation centre in the UK. Like most farms part of our work involves undertaking a range of varied spraying activities on diverse crops which include soft and top fruit, potatoes, cereals, beans and oilseed rape. Part of our LEAF strategy to minimise our chemical input is to spray only when we need to and to target only the specific areas where we need control (eg. at the base of the fruit rows). Growing grass pathways between the rows and maintaining these with a grass mower and using a micron sprayer to target the base of the plant is one of our solutions.

“To control weeds in raspberries and blackcurrants, we use a Micron 100l Spray System equipped with either 2 Spraydome 400s or 2 Undavina 600s depending on what is required, mounted on the front linkage of a Fendt 209V vineyard tractor; this frees up the rear of the tractor to enable a further grass cutting operation in the same pass. ”Undavina and Spraydome’s spray atomisers are fully shielded under a circular freely rotating head to virtually eliminate drift. They also incorporate a spring loaded arm which gently deflects around the base of the bushes, allowing spraying right up to the base. 

“We first used this equipment in the summer of 2012 after it was recommended to us by AM Phillips, who have supplied the majority of our spraying equipment for around 20 years,” Euan explains. “With a number of trials underway, the sprayers get used regularly as we pass through each plantation roughly once a month during the summer. We have used Glyphosate at 4l/ha in 80l/ha water, Glufosinate-ammonium and Diquat products at the same rates at various stages through the season, all with excellent results.

“Because of its shielded construction, the Spray System allows us to control the placement of the chemical and reduce drift which are very important in ensuring there is no damage to experimental plots that are assessed for growth characteristics.”

“Before we purchased the Micron equipment, we used Dichlobenil granules to control weeds in the spring. Our need for accuracy is great so this was often followed up later in the season by teams of workers hoeing and strimming weeds during the summer and we were able to hand lance weeds with Diquat if circumstances allowed. Using Micron CDA sprayers saves many man hours per plot compared to hoeing, the ratio being at least one spraying hour to 10 hoeing hours.”

Euan estimates that the equipment will pay for itself within around two years in reduced labour costs alone. As well as his raspberries and blackcurrants, he plans to use the sprayers on top fruit in the future.

Following the introduction of the Varidome S3 – the three section band sprayer – at Lamma 2012 just over a year ago, Micron Group have seen growing interest in its precision inter-row technology. The sprayer received excellent feedback at both Lamma and Cereals from UK and overseas visitors alike. Encouraged by the successful UK launch, Micron presented the Varidome to the French market at Innov-Agri, the country’s main agricultural event in September 2012 and are planning further exposure at Tulare (USA) in February 2013, Yorke Peninsula Field Days (Australia) in September 2013 and further introductions in mainland Europe and Scandinavia. Driven by customer demand, Varidome’s manufacturer Micron has also developed the Varidome S5 – its largest to-date, nine metre band sprayer – which was exhibited at the 2013 Lamma event.

The reasons for the broad appeal of the Varidome are many. Firstly, the industry has seen an increasing withdrawal of active ingredients for crop protection which means farmers are faced with a limited choice of herbicides. Thanks to Varidome’s highly flexible design, the sprayer can be configured to suit most row-grown crops including sugar beet, oil seed rape and vegetables, making it a viable and attractive choice for a wide range of applications.

Secondly, the Varidome features a shielded spray system which allows users to better target weeds growing in the inter-row and a wider choice of herbicides for the job. The benefits of this are twofold: not only can Varidome effectively remove persistent weeds such as blackgrass under the shield, it can do so in a cost-effective way as non-selective herbicides such as Glyphosate can be applied. Used in conjunction with precision guidance systems, Varidome inter-row sprayers can deliver impressive 2 to 3 cms accuracy.

Varidome’s optional Dual Spray System offers further cost-savings and increased productivity. As well as treating the weeds growing inter-row under the shield, the sprayer can be fitted with a second spray line which can deliver selective herbicides, foliar feeds, fungicides or insecticides directly over the row. As a result, the product is only applied where it is needed, making Varidome a better choice all round.

As part of its strategy to enhance the product offering and strengthen its brand perception, Micron Group has recently undergone a complete rebrand. The rebrand involved a change in trading name, standardising on product colourways and revising the individual product names.

As of January 2013 Micron’s three companies – Micron Sprayers Ltd, Micronair and Enviromist Industries Pty – will be trading as Micron Group. The decision was made following the Group’s recent restructuring which enabled the companies to capitalise on their combined strengths and consequently strengthen its key Sales, Marketing, R&D and Finance functions. During the restructuring, eight new positions have been created to enable the company to better serve the market. The common name will help Micron Group to enhance its image as a strong player in the spraying industry and reinforce its global positioning.  

In the effort to further consolidate the brand image, the Group’s product colourways and labelling are being standardised. Micron will use one colour (green) for its vehicle-mounted equipment and hand-held sprayer parts. All atomiser shields including CDA and high flow nozzle models will also be produced in one standard yellow. Micronair atomiser moulded parts will remain red to differentiate between the aerial and ground equipment. 

Additionally, the product family branding is being simplified to make the product offering clearer to the customer. It has been decided that the aerial atomisers and accessories will bear the Micronair family name whereas the remaining product portfolio including hand-held sprayers and applicators, Enviromist vehicle-mounted equipment and former Micronair ground products will be marketed under the Micron brand.

Individual product names have also been revised to reduce the number of brand names for similar type products which will consequently allow Micron Group to better protect its intellectual property.

As a result, Micron’s shielded hand-held sprayers will be branded Herbidome, with Herbi 600S being renamed as Herbidome 600 and Handydome renamed as Herbidome 350.
Equally the Microfit system branding has been simplified to help customers better understand the products. As such it has been decided to use the Microfit name for the handle component of the sprayers which would be used with interchangeable Herbi, Herbiflex or Herbi Twin lances. Equally, Microfit Powerpack Pro name has been changed to Microfit Pro to refer to the handle with electric on/off switch only.

The Turbair name will no longer be used as the parent brand for the Electrafan air-assisted sprayers. Instead, the product will be branded Micron Electrafan.

To help promote Micron’s core CDA (Controlled Droplet Application) technology for vehicle-mounted sprayers, the abbreviation will now form part of the product range name (e.g. UndavinaCDA).

Commenting on the rebrand, Ausra Landey, Group Marketing Manager at Micron said: “Since Micron’s inception in 1954, the company has grown from a small local company to one of the world’s leading manufacturers servicing a wide range of industries and their varying requirements. We believe that by implementing these branding changes and simplifying our branding structure, we will be able to further strengthen our global brand and make our products clearer to the end user.”

Varidome S3, the innovative inter-row sprayer from Micron Group, had its first introduction to the French market at the country’s key agricultural event Innov-Agri earlier this year. Micron, one of UK’s leading specialist sprayer manufacturers, showcased the machine in conjunction with its French distributor Billet Equipement. With strong emphasis on eco-friendly innovation, the event took place from 4th to 6th September in Outarville France and attracted over 90,000 visitors, serving as the perfect platform to showcase the Varidome to the French growers.

Incorporating Micron’s shielded band technology, Varidome S3 received a high level of interest from both local and international growers, particularly sugar beet, OSR and maize. Visitors were impressed with the machine’s ability to reduce chemical usage by only treating the area in between the rows and to minimize drift, allowing users to spray in windier weather conditions. Varidome S3 was kitted with the optional dual spray system which, as well as allowing the operator to treat weeds in between the rows, can simultaneously apply another product such as a selective spray over-row thus virtually halving labour costs.

Varidome S3 is capable of treating three beds at a time (up to 6 metres in total). It can spray variable inter-row widths from 170mm to 700mm and bed widths from 1.3m to 2m wide. The spray width is fully adjustable on each individual head; the toolbar configuration can also be easily changed to suit the type of crop.

As well as the new Varidome, visitors wanted to find out more about the WeedSwiper, Micron’s non-drip weed wiper for treating weeds in sugar beet and grassland, which was also on display at the show. The WeedSwiper design exploits the weed and crop height differential delivering non-drip brush contact with weed foliage via herbicide-moistened pads. It is kitted with intelligent sensor controls that ensure that the pads are continually moistened but never oversaturated to cause dripping.

Speaking of their appearance at Innov-Agri, Mr Billet, the Managing Director at Billet Equipement, commented: “Offering high quality innovative products is at the heart of our strategy and we are pleased to be able to bring the advantages of the Varidome and band spraying to France. Initial customer interest and feedback is very positive and we are very proud to be at the forefront of this development.”

Leading manufacturers of specialised spraying equipment, Micron Group have revealed their plans to exhibit a range of herbicide and pesticide sprayers for nurseries, glasshouses and polytunnels at this year’s Four Oaks show. Specifically, visitors to the company’s stand B85 will be able to find out more about the Micron AU8000 mistblower, the Electrafan – an air-assisted sprayer – and a range of hand-held CDA (Controlled Droplet Application) equipment including the Herbi 600S for Christmas trees.

Firstly, growers will have the opportunity to find out more about Micron AU8000 mistblower for spraying crops in orchards, polytunnels and glasshouses. The highly efficient Micron AU8000 uses rotary atomiser technology to deliver excellent coverage at Low Volume (LV) and Ultra Low Volume (ULV) application rates. The AU8000 mistblower offers adjustable droplet size and good penetration of plant canopy for optimum results. The CDA atomiser produces droplets of a controlled size range which minimises spray drift and reduces the amount of liquid required. As well as ensuring that the maximum amount of spray is deposited where it is needed, the AU8000 eliminates the problem of run-off and greatly assists in the control of chemical residues on fruit and vegetables.

Polytunnel and greenhouse growers will also be able to see the Electrafan – a hand-held, air-assisted sprayer specifically designed for hot spot pest control in enclosed environments. The sprayer incorporates a spinning disc atomiser and a fan, a combination of which produces a directed airflow of small evenly-sized droplets capable of up to a 6 metre reach. Available in battery or mains operated versions to eliminate strenuous pumping, the Electrafan can apply both Low Volume water-based (LV) and Ultra Low Volume (ULV) formulations, making it a highly efficient and economical choice.

In addition, Micron Group will be displaying a number of other hand-held precision weed control solutions for horticultural and general use including the Herbi 600S, a battery-operated CDA sprayer aimed at Christmas tree growers. Featuring a 600mm wide shield to fully protect the valuable tree plantings from spray drift, the Herbi 600S also incorporates a CDA atomiser which awards users all the benefits associated with low volume technology. This includes reduced labour requirements thanks to the sprayer’s minimal water requirement and less frequent refilling operation.