INTERNATIONAL
HANGAR CONVERSATIONS
Dr. Diego Martin Oliva diegomartinoliva@gmail.com Agronomist
Are Aerial Applications and Ground Applications the Same? After a long technical day in Laguna Larga, Cordoba Argentina the question of aerial vs ground applications was discussed. I was working with Salvucci Aviation making calibration and spray system adjustments. We asked ourselves, “What was the reason agricultural producers often decided to make their chemical applications with ground equipment?”
Was it exclusively due to costs? Is a ground application as efficient as aerial applications? Do growers know the benefits of aerial application? To answer these questions, we must approach them from several prospectives. As a first step, we agreed that we should show our customers the benefits of aerial applications as compared to ground applications. Primarily, this is because of the penetration created by inertia of droplets (as long as the boom is adequately positioned) due to an aerodynamic benefit, downwash. In general terms, this makes the control of a pathogen, or pest, much more efficient.
This asset is only available with the aircraft. The desirable sum of effects of aerial application, downwash created while in ground effect, also enhances the finest drops to contact the backside of leaves, allowing droplets to reach areas where ground applications cannot. Many pests exist on the underside of leaves? Do growers know this? In terms of biological effectiveness, there are many scientific publications that reveal this. So, is this issue just a cost issue?
On the other hand, the operational capacity of an ag-plane is absolutely better than any ground equipment by practically 10:1, with its superior applications and average swath widths addressing the pest problem much faster. ➤
In terms of application contact with the target, agairupdate.com | A 17
