Atomizers with product recovery, an eco-friendly solution

The recent introduction of legislation that addresses the need to establish compliance bands between the sites being treated and sensitive sites (inhabited areas, cycle paths, water courses, etc.) has stimulated the manufacturers to produce a number of environmentally friendly sprayers, equipped with a sort of "tunnel" inside which the crop is treated

To obtain healthy, high quality products, the use of plant protection treatments is absolutely essential in modern agriculture, and even more so in specialized agriculture (vineyards and orchards in particular). However, pesticide treatment is one of the aspects of agricultural activity most debated by public opinion and the media. With the implementation of the 2009/127/EC Directive in 2011, manufacturers have introduced new standard equipment that has become essential for CE marking. Delving into the details, now all machines must be able to completely stop the spraying with a single control; they must allow easy filling and complete emptying of the main tank; they must enable the volume being disseminated to be precisely and reliably defined; they must necessarily provide a tank containing only water, dedicated to washing the sprayer; and they must also be designed to minimize the dispersion of the sprayed product by drift and percolation to the ground. At the same time, the transposition of Directive 2009/128/EC which took place with the National Action Plan (PAN) also introduced the general obligation to periodically check all machines used for professional distribution of pesticides, and as a result, it is too expensive for some users to adapt the more obsolete machines to the new provisions.

The prospect of a rapid replacement of part of the existing fleet, coupled with the users’ demand for modern and eco-friendly machinery, has led many Italian manufacturers to develop modern sprayers “with recovery panels”.

This particular market segment, which was the de facto prerogative of a couple of producers (the German Lipco and the Italian Bertoni), is now rapidly spreading especially in those areas where very restrictive hygiene provisions have been issued. The users of these “eco-friendly” machines have the ability to drastically reduce the band amplitude to safeguard vulnerable water courses and sensitive areas. These machines are much more expensive and bulky than traditional ones, and in addition to undeniable environmental benefits, they can also lead to substantial savings in the cost of the treatments. Let us consider that when carrying out a treatment with a traditional sprayer in the early vegetative phases, or when the leaf barrier is not yet well formed, it is common practice for most of the sprayed product to be unnecessarily dispersed in the environment (in some cases, up to 80-90% is dispersed). With the “recovery panel sprayers” it is possible to intercept the product otherwise dispersed and reuse it, so it is easy to understand the magnitude of the savings obtained with these new machines. It is obvious, however, that the greater the barrier effect created by the growing volume and density of vegetation, the less the advantages of these machines that allow for product recovery. Although it is difficult to quantify the economic savings obtainable with these new machines, it is possible to estimate that the cost of protecting a vineyard grown with the espalier method on average varies between 300 and 900 €/ha depending on the different strategies that can be adopted, and the use of recovery panel sprayers can save up to 40-50%. Also from the environmental point of view, the benefits are enormous. In fact, these modern machines are capable of cutting down to 98% the damaging phenomenon of drift, and this happens practically in all conditions in which these machines can operate.

The massive introduction of this new category of machines, even if absolutely desirable from an environmental point of view, cannot be accomplished in a short time, also because of some issues inherent in their architecture. First of all, these machines are suitable to work only on forms of the espalier method, and in any case, they are more bulky, heavy and difficult to manoeuvre compared to traditional ones. It is also necessary to make some agronomic considerations, which include the fact that product recovery after it has passed through the vegetation could also be a vehicle for dispersing spores (or eggs) of pathogens. However, some of these machines offer optional fittings, including centrifuges or microfiltration devices, which may, however, cause new problems with the use of suspended formulations.

Last (but no less problematic) is the issue of the excess left at the end of the treatment of a certain amount of residual product; given the typical mode of operation of these machines, it is not possible to determine in advance precisely the amount of mixture actually distributed, because this also depends on the extent of the product recovery. As a result, it is always necessary to slightly overestimate the expected quantities, to avoid the risk of not completing the treatment over the planned surface.

Regarding the construction of these particular machines that more and more manufacturers are introducing into the market, and without the claim to be comprehensive on the subject, we will list the proposals of some specialized Italian industries, starting with the Ravenna company Bertoni Green Technology, which is certainly among the pioneering companies in this segment. Today it offers a range of products derived from its first-born “Arcobaleno”, which is now being offered in mono and twin row models, as well as in versions to be fitted on grape harvesters, and in this case up to four rows can be treated simultaneously.

Also the Friuli company Agricolmeccanica, better known by its trademark Friuli Sprayers, after presenting the first “Drift Recovery” several years ago, later added models specifically designed for narrow and hilly vineyards, then models of high working autonomy, using tanks that can reach 3000 litres, and finally with the Drift Recovery Combo, which turns into a toolbox to perform pruning and trimming once the recovery panels are unmounted.

The Verona area also offers the solutions by Caffini, which features the Evo Drift Stopper, made with a new twin synchronized articulated and electronic steering shaft, which facilitates end-of-row U-turns and improves stability on curves. The machine is particularly balanced thanks to the fact that the entire spraying assembly is carried by the tractor’s three-point attachment, while the tank and the panels used for product recovery made of light weight, high strength materials are an appendix.The “Drift Stopper Evo” tunnel sprayer is offered with a main tank ranging from 1000 to 2000 litres.

Still in the province of Verona, we find Mantovani Giuseppe & Antonio Srl, known by the trademark Florida, offering in the field of recovering sprayersits “Drift Winner”, both in mono and twin row versions, which come standard with a hydraulic cylinder steering shaft, double hydraulic lifting axle with hydraulic lifting jack, and main tanks with capacities of 600, 1000 or 1500 litres.

From the Veneto districts, the Padua company Ideal proposes its Drop Save, a recovery panel sprayer suitable for working two rows at the same time, available in the 1000-litre version for planting patterns between 2 and 3 metres, and 2000-litre version for wide rows (2.3-3.5 metres). Thanks to a special panel lifting device, the machine can operate on espalier vineyards with a height varying from 1.85 to 2.5 metres.

The Vicenza company Ricosma proposes its “Zephir”, which differs from the other models particularly for the recovery modes, designed with an air flow produced by an axial fan located on the outside of the panel. The Zephir is offered in mono or twin row versions and is suitable for 2 to 3 metre inter-rows. The recovery is done by a dense set of slim plastic blades. A meter allows you to know in real time the quantity of product recovered and the level of product in the tank. Zephir is available with a 1000 or 2000 litre main tank.

The Treviso company For.Agr. Srl - Favaro has also entered the market of tunnel sprayers with its BACCO series, offered with tanks of 1000 and 1500 litres and twin row versions, which are also proposed with a special device that allows the pesticide to be mixed directly in the spraying circuit, while the main tank only holds clean water.