Texas aerial applicator trys
electrostatic spray system
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS - As tender new leaves
of corn, cotton and other crops begin to push through the soils of America's farmlands
this spring, agriculture's annual battle against crop pests will begin anew. Across the
nation, tractor and truck-mounted spray rigs and agricultural spray planes will begin
applying millions of gallons of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides to protect crops
from destructive insect, disease and weed pests.
According to EPA reports, American agriculture uses more than a billion pounds of pesticide active ingredient annually. Environmental advocates charge that farmers use more pesticides than necessary. Growers, who must pay for the costs of material and application out of their own pockets, counter that they use no more pesticide than is necessary to protect their crops.
According to EPA reports, American agriculture uses more than a billion pounds of pesticide active ingredient annually. Environmental advocates charge that farmers use more pesticides than necessary. Growers, who must pay for the costs of material and application out of their own pockets, counter that they use no more pesticide than is necessary to protect their crops.
Agricultural researchers say that without access to modern pest control chemicals, up to half the nation's food crop could be lost to worms, beetles, mildews and other pests. They suggest that the solution lies not in banning pesticides, but in finding more efficient methods of using and applying them.
This spring, farmers in south-central Texas will have a first-hand opportunity to discover for themselves if an innovative new application system can effectively reduce the amount of pesticide necessary to control crop pests. They will become the first U.S. growers to have their fields commercially treated with an aerial spray system that uses electricity to cause spray droplets to be attracted to the crop foliage as they approach the surface of the field. The electrostatic spray system, developed by USDA-ARS agricultural engineers at College Station, Texas, is now being commercialized by Houston-based Spectrum Electrostatic Sprayers, Inc. The system is already in use in Costa Rica, where banana growers are using electrostatic spray technology to control a fungal disease called black sigatoka.
Unlike the conventional spray systems used on agricultural aircraft, the electrostatic system uses an electrical charge to temporarily alter the number of electrons in each atom of the spray mixture. Following the laws of physics, the charged spray droplets seek a neutral host as they reach the surface. And unlike the droplets discharged from a conventional spray nozzle, the electrically-charged droplets overcome the forces of gravity and inertia as they are pulled to the upper and lower surfaces of the crop foliage.
While most aerial spray systems are designed to apply several gallons of spray solution per acre, the electrostatic spray system permits low volume applications of one gallon or less. Not only does that mean farmers will pay for less pesticide, but also that aerial applicators can treat up to five times more acres with a single tank of spray solution.
Electrostatic technology isn't new. Photocopiers use an electrostatic charge to cause thetoner to be attracted to the paper. Auto manufacturers use electrostatic paint sprayers to help make the paint stick to the metal surface of the vehicle.
Nor is this the first time electrostatic technology has been used in the crop sprayer industry. Blake Dobbins, president of Spectrum Electrostatic Sprayers, Inc., says thousands of electrostatic ground sprayers have gone into use in orchards and field crops in the last 20 years.
But this is the first time that electrostatic technology has been available for the agricultural aviation market. And as the nation's aerial applicators face the threat of increased regulation by state and federal authorities, interest in the technology is heating up. Last December, many of the aerial applicators attending the National Agricultural Aviation Association convention in Reno came specifically to learn more about this unique new spray system. More applicators are keeping a close eye on spray activities in Texas this spring.
"Aerial applicators have tried everything from lowering their spray booms to adding winglets to the wings of their aircraft to reduce spray drift and improve their deposition patterns,"says Dobbins. "But it's been a long time since there have been any real innovations in spray application technology for ag aviation."
Dobbins says the advantages of the electrostatic system are compelling. "As banana growers in Central America have already discovered, the system will help farmers achieve more effective pest control with less pesticide used per acre. Aerial applicators who use the system will be able to treat more acres per tank of spray solution, which means less fuel, less time in the air, and less wear and tear on their aircraft," he adds.
Because the new technology will reduce the volume of pesticide placed in the environment, Dobbins also looks for state and federal regulatory agencies, who are publicly committed to reducing agriculture's use of chemical pesticides, to endorse the electrostatic system.