Vineyards
Diseases affecting grape vines and pests inhibit both growth and yield. Consequently, efficient crop protection – e.g. through the use of vineyard sprayers – is the cornerstone of good yields and high-quality grapes. It is vital that the pesticide penetrates the foliage of the individual vines, so the bottom of the leaves and the fruit are fully and evenly covered. This can be achieved with suitable crop protection technology, so the plants are able to withstand high levels of infection threat. The radial blowers from VICAR can achieve precisely these levels of penetration thanks to the high air speed combined with a lower volume of air compared to other types of vineyard sprayers. The air, which serves to transport the pesticide, can thus be better directed and positioned to achieve an efficient, sparing application onto the vines, leaves and grapes with minimum drift.
Benefits of VICAR radial blowers
- Targeted application of the pesticide
- Cost savings as less pesticide is required
- Excellent penetration of the canopy
- Different nozzles available
- Air outlets can be rotated 360 degrees
- Quiet operation
- Long service life thanks to the high-quality materials
The VICAR application system: cost-effective and efficient
The vineyard sprayers from VICAR have been designed to be used down just alternate rows in a vineyard, which in turn saves both time and money. The radial blowers’ higher air speeds compared to other types of blowers offer a key advantage: not only do they achieve much greater penetration of the plants in the first row, but also better adsorption of the pesticide in the second row. A thorough coating of all plant material requires the under sides of the leaves and the entire vine structures to be coated as well as the upper side of the leaves. Depending on the width of the air flow and the resulting speed losses over distance, the average coating rate lies at around 40% for the first row and up to 60% for the second row. This means, that if you work backwards and then forwards down alternate rows, you can achieve a nearly 100% application rate on each side of each grapevine.
This method is efficient in a number of ways:
- No procurement costs for multi-row pesticide applicators
- Low fuel use
- Saves time and, therefore, staff costs
- Grape zone kept clean thanks to high airflow
- Lower cleaning and maintenance costs
- Faster and more flexible
VICAR vineyard sprayers: an effective tool in the fight against spotted-wing drosophila and vinegar flies
The BAS injection system from VICAR can be used to spray vital insecticides and botrycides exclusively into the grape zone, while the basic pesticide treatment used to protect the remaining leaves is sprayed evenly across the full plant. You can find more detailed information about the standalone pesticide applicator here ».
A useful weapon to combat infection
The threat of infection rises as moisture levels increase in vineyards. In order to prevent fungal growth, the entire vines need to be able to dry out quickly after rainfall. The BT430 radial blower from VICAR is a useful weapon to have in your armoury for this. You can find more detailed information about the device here ».
