Inzet stakeholders onmisbaar in praktijkonderzoek driftarme spuitdoppen

In de fruitteeltsector zijn de mogelijkheden voor investeringen beperkt door de geringe financiële marges. De sector kijkt mede daarom naar de bruikbaarheid van innovaties uit andere sectoren. Driftarme spuitdoppen worden volop toegepast in de akkerbouw. Na een periode van experimenteren en verbeteren zijn er nu doppen die geschikt zijn voor toepassing in de fruitteelt

Nozzle Classification for Drift Reduction in Orchard Spraying: Identification of Drift Reduction Class Threshold Nozzles

In fruit growing high values of spray drift are found compared to arable field applications. In arable spraying drift reducing nozzles are certified for use as drift reducing measures. The nozzles which may potentially reduce drift in fruit growing are not jet classified as drift reducing nozzles, although they are available on the market. The development of a nozzle classification system to identify the drift reduction potential of spray nozzles used in fruit crop spraying would open this market. The results of the initial setup of a nozzle classification system for spray drift reduction in orchard spraying based on drop size measurements is described. An evaluation was made of measured drop size characteristics of a series of nozzles in reference to performed field measurements of two characteristic nozzles; Albuz lilac and Lechler ID9001. Based on these anchor points the ranking of the volume fraction of drops smaller than 100 ¿m (V100) of the nozzle to be classified could be scaled to yield a potential drift reduction, assuming a linear relationship between V100 and spray drift deposition. Within this system, the determination of threshold nozzles for the drift reduction classes 50%, 75%, 90% and 95% drift reduction are described. Identified threshold nozzles for these classes are TeeJet DG8002, Albuz AVI 80015, Lechler ID9001 and Albuz TVI80025 all at 7 bar spray pressure, except for the Lechler ID 9001 which is used at 5 bar pressure. These nozzles will be used in field drift measurements to validate the mode

Effect UV-C belichting op myceliumgroei en sporenkieming van Fusarium oxysporum en Fusarium solani: in vitro experimenten

In dit rapport worden de resultaten beschreven van het onderzoek naar het effect van UV-C belichting op de myceliumgroei en sporenkieming van Fusarium oxysporum en F. solani

Emissiebeperking door spuittechnieken in de fruitteelt

De laatste jaren is er door de LaMi-studiegroepen ‘zwartvruchtrot’ en ‘milieubewust telen van eerste klas peren’ gewerkt aan de ontwikkeling van een bestrijdingsstrategie op peer om het gebruik van het milieubelastende TMTD te beperken zonder dat dit gevolgen heeft voor het bestrijdingsresultaat en de vruchtschilkwaliteit. Dit leidde ertoe dat bij de deelnemers het gemiddelde gebruik duidelijk afnam en dat eenzijdige TMTD-schema’s niet meer voorkwamen. De inschatting was echter ook dat het gemiddelde gebruik (vijf bespuitingen) niet veel verder kon worden teruggebracht en dat voor een verdere vermindering van de milieubelasting van het oppervlaktewater andere oplossingen gezocht moesten worden. Een belangrijke mogelijkheid hiervoor ligt op het gebied van de spuittechnie

Development of a Crop Adapted Spray Application (CASA) sprayer for orchards

In the EU-FP6 ISAFRUIT project a Crop Adapted Spray Application system (CASA) for precision crop protection was developed (Doruchowski et al., 2009). The system ensures efficient and safe spray application in orchards according to actual needs and with respect to the environment. The developed CASA system consist of three sub-systems: Crop Health Sensor (CHS) - identifying the health status of fruit crops to apply chemicals only when necessary; Crop Identification System (CIS) - identifying the tree canopy size and density to apply spray precisely at relevant doses; Environmentally Dependent Application Systems (EDAS) - identifying environmental circumstances and navigating the sprayer to adjust application parameters accordingly so that spray drift is minimised and direct water contamination is avoided

Identification and quantification of point sources of surface water contamination in fruit culture in the Netherlands

Measurements of pesticide concentrations in surface water by the water boards show that they have decreased less than was expected from model calculations. Possibly, the implementation of spray drift reducing techniques is overestimated in the model calculation. The impact of point sources is probably underestimated. A project was initiated for the quantification and qualification of possible point sources in Dutch fruit culture. From a survey it was concluded that the majority of fruit growers do not posses the mandatory equipment regarding filling and cleaning of sprayers. This creates a potential environmental risk for surface water contamination. Further research is focused on: internal and external cleaning of sprayers, environmental impact of the washings, discharge of transport water from fruit sorting installations, and bioremediation systems for processing contaminated water

Control of Alternaria alternata, Causal Agent of Dead (Dormant) Flower Bud Disease of Pear

Dead (dormant) flower buds of pear are an important phenomenon in pear production in the Netherlands. Vigourous or unbalanced tree growth and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (P.s.s.) are mentioned as likely causes of dead flower buds. Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae was occasionally isolated from diseased flower buds. However, Alternaria alternata was nearly always isolated from diseased buds and also often in symptomless flower buds. By identifying the causal agent of dead flower buds disease, an effective control strategy can be developed. In field trials it was proven that fungicide treatments can reduce disease incidences significantly