CDA For Weed Control In Fruit, Grapevines And Hops
United Kingdom growers produce a wide range of fruit crops,
including top fruit, soft fruit and vines, but the mild wet climate
ensures that weed growth is not far behind.
Micron Sprayers Limited, leading designer and manufacturer of
portable and vehicle mounted CDA (controlled droplet application)
spray application equipment have introduced a new concept in CDA
weed control. The ‘Enviromist’, which was developed in
the fruit and vine growing heart lands of South Australia, is
widely used throughout the Australia and New Zealand for weed
control in table and wine grapes, orchards, bush fruit crops and
hops. More recently the Enviromist has been taken up with
enthusiasm in North America, and particularly California, where it
is used for inter-row weed control in a very wide range of fruit
crops including blueberries.
Wherever fruit crops are grown traditional methods of applying
herbicides for weed control are hampered by the same economic and
logistical constraints of having to haul large volumes of spray
mixture up and down the rows. For most fruit crop situations,
including vineyards, there are additional problems related to the
potential for mechanical and chemical damage to sensitive and
valuable trees, bushes and vines when using traditional spray
application equipment.
Such problems are a thing of the past with the novel and highly
innovative system called ‘Enviromist CDA Covered
Spraying’. Benefits of the system are:
· Controlled Droplet Application is achieved through
production of optimal-diameter spray droplets (produced using
Micron Spray Heads) within a narrow size distribution
· Weed control is achieved at significantly reduced volumes
(as low as 12 litres/ha) compared with traditional high volume
hydraulic sprayers
· Use of this ‘covered’ (shrouded) CDA spraying
system, provided by the ‘dome’, minimises loss of spray
droplets to the atmosphere.
There is a wide choice of units including the Spraydome 2000 , the
Spraydome 1000 and the Undavina Range .
The Spraydome 2000 is designed for centre-row weed control, and is
light enough to be mounted on an ATV or motorcycle as well as a
tractor. The Spraydome 1000, which is custom-designed for a gentle,
rolling effect around tender stems in young plantings, is easily
converted to the Undavina format for use in mature vines. The
Undavina is uniquely designed to handle more rugged terrain,
because the ‘skirt’ around the ‘dome’
allows for covered spraying almost anywhere, even over small rocks
and sprinklers.
The advantages offered by ‘covered’ CDA spraying using
these light-weight sprayers with low soil compaction are
significant and many. Growers can get out and spray in wet
conditions when traditional methods would be constrained, a
situation that is occurring more frequently in the increasingly
unpredictable British climate
The combination of much lower spray application volumes (as little
as 12 litres/ha compared with 250 litres/ha typically used for high
volume applications) and the 60 litre tank offers less down time
and quicker turn-around times. The combination of controlled
droplet application (which also implies controlled dosage
application), together with low soil compaction, avoids the checks
on growth frequently caused by heavier and less accurate sprayers.
Growth checks may be caused by physical damage to roots and
chemical damage to both roots and aerial plant parts.
Comments from growers in the grape-growing areas of the world where
this system is already being used reflect these advantages. One
wine grape grower from South Australia claims to have cut his weed
control costs by 79% and obtained a five fold increase in his
ability to control couch grass (Agropyron repens). Another in the
neighbouring State of Victoria now spends one week on a four wheel
bike towing an ‘Enviromist’ instead of four weeks on a
tractor ploughing up weeds. Growers in the wetter parts of
California say that this ATV towed system allows them to get onto
the field and spray more promptly after rainfall than they would if
using a tractor.
CDA sprayers in the ‘Enviromist ’ range can offer real
benefits for a variety of holdings in the United Kingdom including
growers of top fruit, soft fruit, grapevines and hops.
User testimonials can be found on our testimonial page.
