Aerial applicator welcomes safe chemical

Press, 16 August 1985, Page 19

Aerial applicator welcomes safe chemical

Spraying herbicides on to cereal crops in Central Canterbury has become a very demanding task for an aerial applicator in recent years, now that horticultural crops are an established feature of the plains landscape. Weedons helicopter operator Mark Watson has welcomed the arrival on the scene of Glean herbicide for several reasons, but safety is its one aspect which lets him sleep more easily at night.

With his Hughes 300 helicopter, Mark sprays about 5000 ha of cereals and brushweeds in Central Canterbury each year and he says increasing horticultural activity in his patch demands greater care from operators so that materials do not stray on to paddocks where susceptible — and valuable — crops have been established.

The low volatility and non-hormonal characteristic of Glean cereal herbicide is a welcome advance for

Mark, especially considering the popularity of the. product with farmers, he says. A farmer in his own right on the 240 ha family proE, Wyndon, at Weedons, says he’ll be using Glean in his own cereal crops this season.

“We have horticultural crops all around us here.” According to Mark, the product’s broad spectrum effectiveness isn’t the only reason for its success among cereal growers. Mark Watson says it offers them another clear benefit on the bottom line — it is more cost-effective to apply from the air than other materials because it can be applied at low water rates. Only 20 grams of Glean mixed in 60 litres of water will treat one hectare — Mark can cover approximately four hectares per fill.

“Low volume spraying means we cover more hectares per load, so that’s less time the machine is on the

ground. And because the ground crew isn’t constantly having to measure out large quantities of material from drums, there’s less handling time, thereby improving efficiency. All this means less time and less cost to the farmers,” says Mark.

These factors tend to make aerial application of cereal herbicides more attractive than it has been in the past. Mark Watson believes that this low water rate requirement of Glean, combined with reduced risks of crop damage caused by wheel ruts dug into the crop by spray rigs in the spring, may well mean that more herbicide will be sprayed from the air in future.

“As the quality tolerances in grain requirements narrow, growers will be less and less keen to run machinery through their crops, causing second growth which gives rise to ripening problems at harvest time.”