Comparative trial, in cooperation with ADAMA, to determine the reduction of soil deposition (drift) of a fungicide product in the apple orchard: Martignani provides the best performance.

Martignani carried out in collaboration with ADAMA a trial to determine the reduction in soil deposition (drift) of active ingredient achievable by using different sprayers. The trial was conducted on “pink lady” variety apples in the 2024 season in the province of Ravenna (Italy) at the farm La Colombarina, owned by Zauli Mirko, in Reda di Faenza (Ravenna).

A pneumatic sprayer with electrostatic charge model Whirlwind M612 Turbo 2 from Martignani was compared with a conventional axial fan sprayer equipped with anti-drift nozzles and a tower air convection sprayer with Albuz ATR 80 cone nozzles.

Measurements were taken to determine the deposition of a fungicide product supplied by ADAMA both under the canopy of the orchard of treated rows and at increasing distances from the treated row.

“Martignani achieved an average percentage drift reduction of more than 80 percent (85.8 percent) compared with the conventional sprayer and nearly 60 percent (57.9 percent) compared with the tower air-convection sprayer.”

The measurement of under-canopy deposition was carried out by analyzing samples of sward and showed that the Martignani M612 electrostatic sprayer achieved an average percentage drift reduction of more than 80 percent (85.8 percent) compared to the conventional sprayer and almost 60 percent (57.9 percent) compared to the tower air convection sprayer. The latter also reduced under-canopy deposition compared to the conventional sprayer, however, reaching only 66%.

Interestingly, following the first application made at the end of flowering, the Martignani electrostatic sprayer achieved a drift reduction in under-canopy of 77 percent compared to the conventional and 57 percent compared to the air tower air convection sprayer. Finally, with the canopy fully developed, the Martignani pneumatic-electrostatic sprayer achieved drift reduction levels of over 90%.

Further verification was conducted by measuring the deposition on hydrosensitive papers placed on the ground at different distances from the treated row. In detail, the water-sensitive papers were placed at 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 meters from the treated row to intercept the drift that is deposited on the ground following the application.

Again, the Martignani electrostatic sprayer provided the best performance, leading to a reduction in the drift amount detected of 70% compared to the conventional and 20% compared to the tower air convection sprayer: the latter reduced deposition compared to the conventional sprayer by 63%.

Last but no least, the drift reduction observed with the adoption of the Martignani electrostatic sprayer at 10 and 20 meters from the treated row, which reached 100% in both measurements, i.e., total absence of drift.

*The trial was carried out in collaboration with ADAMA, a leading provider of phytopharmaceuticals. We would like to thank Matteo Cernuschi, global product manager at ADAMA.

For further information, please write us an email stating as the subject line. “MARTIGNANI AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE” e-mailing it to: marketing@martignani.com