Senwes Scenario August/September 2018 | Page 7

AGRICULTURAL Conventional MagGrow A conventional sprayer and a sprayer fitted with MagGrow RMAX offers several benefits, including safe and reliable application of treatments with no soil compaction. The RMAX has also proven to be faster and more efficient than current ground spray applications (both wheeled and foot). This approach has great potential for savings, specifically on bush and tree crops where the total quantity of pesticides used is typically much higher than for arable crops. SPRAYER INNOVATION FOR ARABLE CROPS In conventional crop spraying technology, one of the biggest challenges is controlling pesticide spray drift from moving outside its intended target area. Drift can occur during spraying appli- cations, when pesticide droplets drift into adjacent fields of the farm, into neighbou­ ring farmland or water sources, causing potential cross-contamination. Spray drift is a major cause of water pollution and huge quantities of water are contaminated by pesticide run-off. How does spray drift occur? Spray drift itself is influenced by factors such as air movement, the wind, nozzle size, tractor speed, boom height and the size of the droplets used – its worth bea­ ring in mind that there is an inverse rela- tionship between droplet size and drift. Spray drift solution MagGrow uses off-the-shelf nozzles that create fine or smaller droplets, but without the associated drift. MagGrow achieves this by using magnetic inserts to induce a positive and negative charge into the pesti- cide solution, which in turn makes it easier for the droplet to attach to the crop. Significantly, this charged liquid, in conjunction with fine droplet usage, ensures that the MagGrow system provides superior spray drift control of over 80% along with superior coverage, with a 90% better droplet attachment to the target. MagGrow Conventional Senwes Precision Farming Solutions have recently signed a reseller agreement with MagGrow in order to bring this tech- nology to our customers in South Africa. To find out more about the solu- tion, contact Etienne Nel, Senwes: Manager Precision Farming (018) 464-7526 Source: https://www.precisionfarmingdeal- er.com/articles/2201-yamaha-rmax-un- manned-helicopter-performs-first-us-com- mercial-agricultural-flight. SENWES SCENARIO | SPRING 2018 5