Published on 12/01/2024
And with El Niño on the weather radar that’s not good news for crop yields this coming season.
David Lingan, UPL NZ’s adjuvant product manager, says with control of insects by insecticides heavily dependent on contact or ingestion, 100 per cent coverage of the plant is absolutely essential.
“That’s doubly true when you add the challenge of achieving coverage of waxy foliage such as dense forage brassica crops.
“Using Du-Wett will definitely enhance spray performance. It makes every droplet of active work that much harder.”
Lingan says one spray droplet containing Du Wett can provide up to 20 times the spread of active compared to spray applied without an adjuvant, and at least six to eight times compared to a conventional, non-ionic adjuvant.
Du-Wett reduces the surface tension of spray droplets, forming a thinner film over the surface of leaves.
“Super spreaders get the active everywhere that it counts.”
Lingan recommends ‘going early and going hard’ with insect protection and the superspreader.
While some insecticides and spraying itself (especially by helicopter) can be costly, he says Du-Wett will more than pay for itself.
“Using it means you don’t have to do the spray job twice. Like they say: Do it once and do it right!”
“With Du-Wett you cover a greater area, faster, with less water volume, and get better coverage. That makes spraying so much more cost effective.”
Water’s high surface tension doesn’t give the spread or coverage needed for optimal spray performance, Lingan says.
And, contrary to popular belief, more water will not improve coverage.
“Increasingly farmers are looking to make savings, and con-serve water, without compromising spray efficacy.”
He says previously superspreaders were once considered an add-on, a nice-to-have.
“Maybe that was due to a limited understanding of the potential benefits.”
“When we went out to spray our crops and paddocks, ironically, we were overlooking one very important component in the tank: the water.”
“It was used to dilute the chemistry and (we hoped) provide adequate coverage to our crops. It was almost an afterthought. Yet, by volume, it has almost always been the most common ingredient in the spray tank!”
Lingan says scientific recognition of the potential benefits of reducing water volumes goes back quite a way.
Elliott Chemicals Limited (now UPL NZ) began work on adjuvants in this country more than two decades ago.
Du-Wett, an organisilicone super spreader, is backed by many years of dedicated research and development.
He also reinforces the need to monitor crops closely for pest presence including the use of pheromone traps.
“Prevention is better than cure. Once insects are into corn and maize in particular, it’s difficult to control them.”
For more information on Du-Wett contact your local technical specialist or David Lingan at UPL NZ.