The farmer has available a unique software to help you make an effective spray with practical guidance for each step. The Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of São Paulo, through the Agronomy Institute (IAC) of Campinas (SP), launched the program called DropScope technology that guides you step by step professionals of the field in the application of pesticides, helping from the positioning and organization of water sensitive papers to indicate improvements when necessary. For now, the software features are compatible for use on grain crops, fiber and sugarcane. The studies are being continued to adapt the system for use in spraying trees and shrubs, such as citrus and coffee.
The IAC developed the technology in partnership with the company Ablevision Computer Systems and support from the Mato Grosso Cotton Institute . The tool also provides support for conducting studies on pesticide application technology area, by generating data that assist scientific researchers.
The DropScope evaluates the quality of spraying in plantations. With the use of a notebook computer, a procedure can be done in the field during application of chemicals. “The tool acts as a virtual consultant, the system asks questions to farmers to indicate the best way to use of pesticides. Producers have difficulty in this area, hence the importance of DropScope “said Hamilton Humberto Ramos, the IAC researcher and one of the developers of the tool.
The system, which was first developed in 2004, works as follows: the producer installs the software on the computer and connect a water sensitive paper scanner. The program asks the farmer on the type of product to be applied – herbicide, insecticide or fungicide – asks about the size of the plant to be treated and also the pest or disease occurs on the stem, fruit or leaf. The technical information about the product, found on the packaging, are also requested by the software.
After completing the questionnaire, which is all illustrated, DropScope begins the process of evaluation of spraying. For this step, the system instructs the user of technology on using water sensitive papers. According to Ramos, to assess the spraying, the producer puts the water sensitive paper in the scanner, connected to the computer, which points to spray quality is poor, fair or good, through red, yellow and green. “When the program identifies that the producer is making a misapplication, he points out the problem and suggests what should be done to achieve an appropriate application,” explains Ramos.
“The DropScope differentials are credibility because the whole tool was developed with scientific basis and practical applications, and the adoption of simplicity, which enables its use directly in the field, just access to a notebook, “said the IAC researcher.
investment to acquire DropScope is R $ 6,500.00 or so. The value can be recovered only with the economy of water used in a crop. It is emphasized that the adequacy of the application of pesticides brings great save water. In a culture with 200-day cycle, such as soybeans, which are made five sprays are consumed 200 liters of slurry per hectare. In an area of 1000 hectares, the economy is R $ 2,500.00, only to reduce the volume of water applied. In Mato Grosso, there are many cotton farmers using the system to achieve efficiency in spraying.
The Secretary of Agriculture of the State of São Paulo, Arnaldo Jardim, points out that technological innovation is fundamental in the field, as it allows produce more efficiently. For him, so it is the fundamental research carried out by institutes of the Secretariat. “In this case, as we recommended the governor Geraldo Alckmin, is a technology that helps to have more efficient use of water, which is key,” he said.
Support for science
In addition to helping farmers, the DropScope is an important tool for scientific researchers in the spray area. The program offers the advanced search option, it is possible to obtain relevant parameters on the application, as the size of syrup drop being applied to plants and the product range. “The tool also provides a graph with the analysis of spraying number of drops or volume. This information is important because the higher the percentage of small droplets, the greater the evaporation of the product, reducing its efficiency, “says IAC researcher.
spray quality
According to the researcher of the Agronomic Institute (IAC), in Campinas, Hamilton Humberto Ramos, one of the most common mistakes in applying activity of agrochemicals is the amount of water taken. “The producer believes, mistakenly, that when using large volumes of water, will have better efficiency in the application of pesticides, when in fact it is the opposite,” he explains.
Ramos explains that efficiency is related to accuracy in hitting the target application, i.e., placing the chemical where it is really needed. “The use of less water, and more efficient, reduce waste,” says.
IAC Research has shown that the amount of 100 liters of water to dilute the chemical sprays is sufficient for application on a hectare of sugarcane. In general, this area is used 250 to 300 liters. The IAC showed that it is possible to achieve the same efficiency with up to one third of this volume.
With this technology, already adopted by large numbers of São Paulo plants, you can save 100 to 200 gallons of water per hectare . Reducing the volume adopted in application increases the operational capacity of the equipment by 17% on average, while preserving water resources.
The work of IAC allow save about 600 million liters of water per year . The amount is enough to supply a city like Campinas, with about one million inhabitants, for three days.
In the citrus orchards, the Agronomic Institute managed to reduce eight thousand to ten thousand liters the volume of syrup used in the treatment plant, for two thousand liters to three thousand liters without any loss in the application or the effectiveness of pest control period. The IAC work continues in partnership with the Citrus Defense Fund (Fundecitrus), and are already being carried out evaluations with use of 500 a thousand liters per hectare.
IAC technology in phytosanitary treatment citrus can save 35 billion liters of freshwater per year in São Paulo. This reduction would be enough to supply a city of 960,000 inhabitants, for 365 days.
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