| Spraying
Table grape study wins BASIS Project of the Year Award
Defy 3D nozzle
A key component in your attack on blackgrass this autumn
Training and certification organisation , BASIS , has announced Gloria Endredi as the winner of the Paul Singleton Project of the Year Award for her investigation of the effect of water volume and droplet size on spray coverage in table grapes .
G loria Endredi ’ s project was selected from the top five scoring submissions and judged by a panel of BASIS exam chairmen .
The winning project examined how different water volumes penetrated the canopy and fruit cluster . Gloria concluded that a blue hollow cone nozzle with a medium droplet spectra at 500 L / ha should be the recommended application method for table grapes .
Gloria ’ s training was organised by Dianne Quested at Mid Kent Training , and lead trainer for the course was Debbie Wedge from Chelmsford & West Essex Training Group .
Gloria has worked at NIAB EMR , in East Malling , Kent , for the past seven years , and has spent the past six months developing skills acquired during her BASIS qualification . Having completed the BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection ( Commercial Horticulture ), Gloria hopes to continue her learning by completing further BASIS qualifications , including the BASIS Diploma .
On receiving the award , Gloria said : “ The BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection course was a huge learning curve , particularly for someone at the beginning of their horticultural career . The project formed a large part of the work required . The course was an ideal opportunity to interact with experienced and knowledgeable people . I am incredibly proud of my achievement and the win was completely unexpected .”
The Paul Singleton Project of the Year Award was introduced by BASIS in autumn 2014 to recognise the outstanding input that many candidates apply to their project , which is a fundamental element of the BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection . The project requires significant crop protection content , personal practical involvement and original research .
Stephen Jacob , BASIS Chief
20 | Farming Monthly | August 2016
Executive , said : “ This is the second year we have made a presentation for the best project submitted as part of the Certificate in Crop Protection . The standard of projects was extremely high and all aspects of the report , including subject choice , technical accuracy , and design were taken into consideration when deciding the overall winner .”
Gloria added : “ The project provided me with an opportunity to work in an area that I was relatively unfamiliar with . The novelty of the topic was exciting , and grapes are an interesting subject in the UK due to the implications of climate change and its effects on crop growth . The investigation of the effect of water volume and droplet size is a relatively unexplored area with a bright future . The results may provide an opportunity to make recommendations on vineyard spraying in the future . I am looking forward to applying the skills and knowledge that I gained from the course to my job .”
Patrick Mitton , BASIS Education and Training Committee Chairman , said : “ Table grapes offer a unique challenge in gaining even spray coverage . Gloria established some key outputs in her trial work in relation to droplet size , speed of application , water volume and coverage across different parts of the plant . Given the increasing interest and number of grape growers in England , Gloria ' s project offers practical and tangible outputs . The BASIS project judges were impressed by Gloria ' s excellent presentation of the issues , challenges and trial results in her winning project . “
Gordon Flint was crowned the runner up in the Project of the Year award for his Assessment of Clopyralid use for Control of Creeping Thistle in Cut Flower Peony . The project assessed the effect of spot treatments of clopyralid when applied to cut flower peony crops in July to September 2015 and survival of treated creeping thistle when assessed in October and December 2015 , and January 2016 .
T he unique Defy 3D inclined nozzle was developed specifically for the application of preemergence blackgrass herbicides . It has been tuned to eliminate the smallest driftable droplets , boosting performance whilst at the same time significantly reducing spray drift .
Developed by Pentair Hypro and Syngenta , Defy 3D is the latest in a line-up of specialist nozzles and delivers more even spray coverage over the seedbed surface , says Pentair Hypro ’ s UK business manager Robert Geldard .
“ The unique feature of the Defy 3D nozzle is that as well as providing proven superior spray coverage it also significantly reduces drift , to help growers find more spray days in the autumn . The droplet spectrum has been tailored for the optimum balance between those that are needed for grass weed control but eliminates the smallest drops in order to reduce drift . Depending on size , the new nozzle offers 60-75 % less drift compared to a conventional flat fan nozzle ”. adds Mr Geldard “ Trial results using Defy and Liberator showed that applications with the Defy 3D nozzle increased black-grass control by 3-6 % compared with an equivalent-sized conventional flat fan nozzle and got it up to the critical 97 % needed to reduce long term populations level ”.
In common with the previous Defy nozzle from Syngenta , the new Defy 3D produces a spray that is inclined from the vertical and is designed to be used alternating backwards and forwards-facing along the boom to treat targets from both sides , not just above , hence the 3D name . Defy 3D nozzle has been optimised for use at boom heights of between 50cm and 75cm above the target and at 2-3 bar pressure . Alternatively , to maximise drift reduction potential , reducing the pressure down to 1 bar achieves a 2 star LERAP classification .
Performance has been excellent at 100 l / ha water , beating a conventional flat fan spray at 200 l / ha in trials , further helping optimise spraying efficiency . It works most effectively at sprayer speeds between 12kph and 14kph . The new Defy 3D nozzle
• Engineered to deliver more even pre-em spray coverage
• Black-grass control boosted by up to 6 % compared with conventional nozzle
• Environmental benefits from reduced drift
• Helps spray more black-grass herbicides on time
Defy 3D nozzle is available in sizes of 03 , 035 , 04 , 05 and 06 through Pentair Hypro ’ s network of UK distributors this autumn .
For a full list see the contact page at www . hypro-eu . com .
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