Agriculture Aerosol Technology
(contributed by Charles Weil; email: cweil@mindspring.com
There was a recent report that growers in California vineyards are using a new aerosol technology to simultaneously reduce the volume of pesticides they use on their grape vines and increase the effectiveness of the insecticides which have been applied. Their approach utilizes a specially designed sprayer which is towed behind a tractor in the conventional manner. However, as the spray is applied, the device imparts an electrical charge to each aerosol particle which has the opposite polarity of the plant surface for which it is intended. Because the charged aerosol droplets are attracted directly to the plants, more of the insecticide actually reaches the plant for which it was intended; it follows that less of the spray is available to settle to the ground surface or for dispersal by wind currents.
Use of the charged aerosol sprayer has enabled the growers to dramatically reduce the volumes of insecticides needed, to reduce their annual dollar outlay for those chemicals, and increase the effectiveness of the spray applied.
Other benefits were also reported. The reduced amount of insecticide settling to the ground has enabled the natural biota in the vineyard soils to flourish. Microbial and invertebrate diversity have also increased and unexpectedly, the volumes of nitrogen-bearing fertilizer previously needed for healthy vine growth have been reduced while vine productivity has increased. As the amounts of pesticides and fertilizers applied to the vineyards were reduced, the amounts available for surface runoff and groundwater have been reduced.
While the initial costs to purchase the new sprayer are "high", use of this aerosol technology has produced benefits by lowering the growers' costs for pesticides and fertilizers while at the same time, increasing the health of their soil and vines, reducing the amounts pesticide and nitrogen-bearing fertilizer lost to groundwater, surface runoff and wind currents.
A cost-benefit study to assess the financial and ecological aspects of using charged-aerosol technology could lead to its wider use in other agribusiness settings, including the NC Piedmont. Ultimately, the development of a downsized applicator for 'smaller scale' commercial and home use could lead to environmental benefits throughout North Carolina.