Drift as a cost factor in modern agriculture

Among the loss factors present in a phytosanitary treatment, drift can be considered one of the most impactful. It can occur due to the product running off the plant or the transport of droplets produced during spraying to areas bordering the crop, which can reduce the crop's productive potential or require reapplications, minimizing profit and increasing costs. 

Occurrence of drift 

Among the factors that can increase the risk of drift, the main ones are related to the environmental condition at the time of application, the spectrum of drops produced by the equipment and the composition of the spray solution. 

Among the environmental variables is wind speed. When strong, there is a great responsibility in promoting drift. On the other hand, the absolute absence of wind can also cause it, delaying or preventing the fall of the lightest spray drops on the treated area, characterizing vertical drift. Air temperature and humidity can also act in combination, accelerating the evaporation of volatile compounds from the droplets.

 Since application technologies allow the production of droplet patterns of different sizes, the ideal one to promote a safe application would be one that avoids horizontal or vertical transport. Although this reflection is logically understandable, it is not easily obtained, as the micronization of the liquid sprayed into drops in conventional spraying does not allow them to be produced in a similar size. 

Extended use flat jet tips are known to be those with the greatest variability in size, increasing the potential for drift due to the high percentage of very fine droplets. Those with air induction produce low levels of fine droplets, allowing the products to be used safely. These, in turn, require more precise technical analyzes for adequate use, and should be avoided in applications that require deep deposits in crops with high leaf density. 

By considering the possibility that a certain volume of syrup is destined for an area different from that which received the treatment, the cost of direct losses involved in this process can be measured. 

Estimates of the cost of logistics for transporting water and products were carried out by Moraes & Gandolfo (2016) and indicate values ​​close to R$ 3,60 for every 100 units transported (liters or kilograms). They also quantified an average value for the operating cost of R$22,00 for every 100 liters of sprayed syrup in Brazil and that this volume would be a representative value for treating one ha of grain crop area. They also observed an application frequency of eight times on average in a soybean harvest. Thus, the total amount spent on logistics for this crop would be R$204,80 for one ha. The acquisition of phytosanitary products to treat an area equivalent to one ha of soybeans was estimated at approximately R$900,00. In total, there is a total value of R$ 1.104,80 for each ha treated in the soybean crop produced in our country.

 If these sprayings occurred with a high-risk application technique, it is possible to determine that the total amount wasted exceeds R$ 250,00 per harvest in each treated ha. 

Drift reduction technologies 

Spray additives with anti-drift characteristics and low-volatility formulations with a low potential for the formation of very fine droplets are widespread in agriculture and are recommended when the risk of losses due to evaporation or drift is imminent, and should be chosen for their safety. The preservation of the product applied in the destination area leads to more efficient and longer control of pests, diseases and invasive plants, delaying their appearance, and may even reduce the number of applications, helping the plant to express its greater productive potential. . Thus, investing in a more appropriate application technique, the use of a safer phytosanitary product formulation or the inclusion of a drift reducer in the spray solution allows the producer to use it safely, minimizing losses to the environment and enhancing its efficiency.