On Target: The New Goal of Spray Technology

One of the criticisms farmers face when it comes to spraying crop protection products on crops is that the spray is not on target. New technology is changing all that. As part of the Enlist system, Dow AgroSciences has developed new technology that puts the product right where it is supposed to be and keeps it there. A combination of new chemical formulation and spray nozzle technology virtually eliminates drift.

Using a laser in its lab in Zionsville, IN, Dow AgroSciences can measure droplet size and analyze any drift. But John Chase says the real proof is not in the lab but in the field, “I can give you the stats about how this controls over 90% of drift, but the real proof is when the growers come back and tell us it performed just like we said it would.”

Chase says this new technology is not hard to manage and will fit into most farming systems, “We have a team of experts that are working with farmers, retailers to show them how this system works.” The Enlist forward program is focused on education and conservation.

Dow AgroSciences has run field trials at its research farm near Sheridan, IN, where it has sprayed Enlist soybeans right next to sensitive plants, like tomatoes, with no drift damage.