Abstract
Leaf deposit and ground losses generated from spray application in mountain viticulture were evaluated. Four treatments were examined: A spray gun (1000 L ha−1, High-Volume Sprayer—HVS), a motorized knapsack sprayer (200 L ha−1, Low Volume Sprayer—LVS), and a conventional orchard mist blower calibrated at 500 L ha−1 (OS500) or 250 L ha−1 (OS250). The four treatments were assessed using the same tank concentration of tracer in two training systems: a trellis and a goblet. Sprayer treatment, vine side, and vine height significantly affected leaf deposit (p < 0.05). The absolute amount of leaf deposit increased with application volume, but when the amount of deposit was standardized to 1 kg ha−1, LVS resulted in the highest deposit, followed by HVS, OS250, and OS500. Deposition for the goblet system was ca. half that for the trellised vineyard. Ground losses standardized to 1 kg of tracer ha−1 were twice as high for HVS than for LVS, and four times as high for HVS than for OS250 and OS500, in both training systems. The current work suggests that low volume applications in vineyards are a viable and more environmentally friendly alternative than high volume treatments.
Highlights
European member states are obliged to implement the European Directive 2009/128/EC [1] on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides, which aims at reducing the risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment
For leaves from vines trained in the goblet system, the intercept was estimated at 28.34 ± 4.16, the slope at 29.48 ± 1.69
The current work assessed the deposition on leaves and losses to the ground for four different sprayer treatments in a trellis and a goblet training system
Summary
European member states are obliged to implement the European Directive 2009/128/EC [1] on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides, which aims at reducing the risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment. Among the Directive’s major goals are the inspection and calibration of sprayers and training on their proper use. Commission launched the initiative “Better Training for Safer Food” [2], which among other topics, includes training on the proper use and calibration of Pesticide Application Equipment (PAE). Despite having state-of-the-art sprayers, a quantity of pesticide can drift through the air or can be lost to the ground. Pesticide drift and losses to the ground result in environmental pollution, and tools are being developed to measure and reduce off-target losses [4,5,6]. A major cause of ground losses is the runoff of spray liquid from the treated surface, a consequence of not using an appropriate dosing system, or because of performing low uniformity treatments from inadequate use and poor maintenance of application equipment [7]. ISO 22866 (2005) defines drift as the quantity of a plant protection product that is carried
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