New technologies reduce the use of pesticides

Embrapa Meio Ambiente (SP) developed and licensed technologies that improve electrostatic spraying. They are: the universal droplet electrification system; the transported electrostatic pneumatic system and the electrostatic backpack sprayer. These innovations include different application possibilities, according to the needs of each crop, small, medium and large, which expands its use.

For Embrapa researcher Ademir Chaim, responsible for guiding research in the area, the Company managed to develop revolutionary low-cost electrostatic spraying systems. "These are technologies capable of modernizing and making cultural treatments cheaper in our main cultures", he explains

One of the technologies, the universal droplet electrification system, will allow any common hydraulic sprayer to operate as an electrostatic sprayer. The forecast is that the common hydraulic system, when converted, will add 30% to 40% of economy and efficiency to the process.

The conversion is possible through the use of nozzles developed by research that have certain flow characteristics, that is, that enable the emission of droplets of dimensions more suitable for the electrostatic spraying system.

According to Chaim, the system, still in the prototype phase, will allow Brazilian agriculture to establish itself in a new, more technological and efficient spraying scenario. "The main feature of this new system is that the electrostatic spray nozzle is capable of performing the same work that the hydraulic one already does, but adds the ability to generate electrostatic charge, causing the droplets to also settle on the lower parts of the leaves" , explains.

The universal droplet electrification system for hydraulic nozzles was licensed from Embrapa by the company Magnojet Indústria e Comércio de Produtos Agrícolas, which will hold a technological demonstration during the 23rd edition of Agrishow, on April 26th, in Ribeirão Preto (SP).

Air induction conveyed system

This electrostatic spraying system produces one of the highest droplet electrification charge rates ever recorded in the world for this type of equipment, and is recommended for plants with high leaf density. "The difference with this equipment is that the drops are carried more efficiently into the plants by the air jet that sprays the product (compressed air), allowing them to reach more hidden regions, such as branches, leaves and stems", explains the researcher.

With national technology, generated at Embrapa, it serves as the basis for other patents and has aroused the interest of several companies in disseminating and improving the technology. The company B&D agricultural equipment, which will produce and sell the pneumatic spray nozzle, carries out efficiency tests for the control of whiteflies on vegetables in sheltered cultivation. B&D achieved satisfactory pest control rates, combined with a reduction of up to 90% in the volume of spray applied per area.

Electrostatic backpack sprayer

Small and medium-sized rural producers will now be able to count on an important ally to carry out phytosanitary control: the Jetbrás backpack electrostatic sprayer, developed by Embrapa Meio Ambiente and perfected in partnership with the company Bells Indústria Eletrônica, from Timbó (SC).

The equipment was created for operations applying phytosanitary mixtures, whether chemical or biological, phytoregulators, insecticides, veterinary products and other rural uses. It can be used in all crops for which knapsack sprayers are recommended, especially those related to horticulture and fruit growing. It allows a reduction in the use of spray mixture by up to 90% and enables a phytosanitary control rate of up to 97%.

As informed by the director of Bells, José Tadeo de Souza, the product is aimed at small-scale farmers, as it is affordable for this segment, in addition to adding a set of technological advantages that will positively impact the entire production process.

Bells recently carried out comparative tests on several crops, with different management, in which the equipment demonstrated the ability to contribute to more efficient phytosanitary control and capable of generating savings, urgent demands common to the different sectors of the production chain.

Electrostatic spraying

The innovative electrostatic spraying method has demonstrated the ability to reduce 50% to 90% of the spray applied per area, compared to traditional spraying processes. Furthermore, it enables a considerable increase in pest control efficiency rates, directly related to more complete deposition of the active ingredient directly on the target plant.

In this sense, the new methods are capable of promoting greater rationalization of the use of pesticides in the field, improving pest control, reducing production costs and generating greater safety for operators and the food produced.

The system's efficiency is based on the conditions created so that tiny droplets, measuring up to 40 microns (half the thickness of a strand of hair), reach areas or targets that would not be reached by the spraying process with conventional hydraulic nozzles.

These are advantages that electrostatic spraying technology presents in comparison to other commonly used forms of application of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.