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Spray love is in the air

The West Australian

Nationwide demonstrations comparing air-boom spraying technology with conventional systems has spiked grower interest in the latest technology.

The Miller Spray Air nozzle system became available on the manufacturer's popular Nitro, front-mounted self-propelled sprayers this spring, and has been quickly adopted by various farmers.

In recent months, hundreds of growers and agronomists Australia-wide have viewed the system in action, demonstrated at field days by Miller dealers with national distributor McIntosh Distribution.

Static demonstrations showed the benefits of the Spray Air system, but naturally led farmers to want to see the machine in the field.

The Miller system allows for more targeted chemical application through air-assist and air- atomisation technology, forming one powerful spray-nozzle system.

Farmers have fingertip control of the droplet size and speed of the air delivery for any spraying application.

Jon Bent, of McIntosh Distribution, said the field-day demonstrations allowed farmers the opportunity to test how the Miller Spray Air system worked in their conditions.

The performance of the Miller Spray Air system has resulted in a number of retail sales, as well as an increase in general awareness of the system and its benefits.

Depending on the region, the challenge put forward to the Miller Spray Air system varied, but Mr Bent said many people voiced concern about spray drift.

He said regardless of the crops grown, all growers were extremely aware of drift and drift control, which, when coupled with a desire to achieve effective coverage, had led to the continued increase in water carrier volumes.

He said small weeds in shaded stubble rows was another challenge thrown up by farmers in one high-yielding area.

Late fungicide and insecticide applications also showed a marked application benefit in tall and full canopied crops.

Mr Bent said in these cases, the Miller Spray Air system was achieving more coverage in the top of the canopy, the front and rear standing vertical faces, as well as hitting the base of the canopy, for less than half of the water rate than a conventional system.

For further information about the Miller Spray Air nozzle system, growers can visit www.mcintoshdistribution.com.au or www.millersprayers.com.au .

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