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 through the use of different sprayers. The trial was conducted on pink lady variety apples in the 2024 season in the province of Ravenna 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 an Albuz ATR 80 air convection turret sprayer with cone nozzles.

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

Martignani has mounted at an average percentage reduction of more than 80 percent (85.8 percent) compared with the conventional sprayer and nearly 60 percent (57.9 percent) compared with the turret aeroconvention sprayer.”

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

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

Further verification was conducted by measuring the deposition on hydrosensitive maps placed on the ground at different distances from the treated row. In detail, the water-sensitive maps 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 application. Again, the Martignani sprayer provided the best performance, leading to a reduction in the amount detected of 70% compared to the conventional and 20% compared to the turret air convection sprayer: the latter reduced deposition compared to the conventional sprayer by 63%.

A last, but no less interesting note concerns the reduction observed with the adoption of the Martignani 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” addressing it to marketing@martignani.com