Adventures in Lecturing

Harvest is mostly done and growers want to hear what we’ve learned and what’s coming next. Lecture season is upon us once again. In 2021 we’re still finding our way through virtual conferences and hybrid models, but I like to think we’re slowly returning to the in-person format. Just last week I gave my first […]

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Comparing three brands of water sensitive paper

Introduction Spray coverage describes the degree of contact between spray droplets and the target surface area. This metric can be used to predict the success of an application. One of the easiest methods for visualizing coverage is to use water sensitive paper (WSP), which is a passive, artificial collector that turns from yellow to blue […]

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Spraying asparagus in fern

Spraying asparagus in fern.

Prologue This research was performed in 2012 and since then there have been considerable advances in application technology for asparagus in fern that should be considered. Be sure to read the epilogue at the end of this article. Introduction Diseases such as purple spot can have major economic impacts for asparagus growers, and the best […]

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OrchardMAX

OrchardMAX won the 2016 Canadian Agri-Marketing Association’s “Certificate of Merit” in the Mobile Apps Category. Before You Continue OrchardMAX was developed in 2016. iOS and Android have moved on since then, so the links to the app may no longer function. Maintaining this app for new operating systems requires a capitol expense which, presently, we have not […]

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Crop-Adapted Spraying (CAS) and an Apple Orchard Case Study

The ultimate goal of CAS is to adapt the amount of active ingredient per unit ground area such that the amount of active ingredient per unit target area (usually the leaf area) remains constant for canopies of varying shape and density. When this is achieved with sufficient accuracy, the pesticide efficacy is maintained. These three plants are all significantly different in size. When calibration is appropriate to each plant, the foliar coverage “experienced” for each plant will be the same, in spite of differences in the amount of solution expelled per ground area.

An orchard spraying scenario Here’s a common situation: An orchardist following IPM identifies a pest that poses an economic threat. It’s an annual pest and spraying is really a matter of when, not if. The operation is 150 acres and runs three airblast sprayers; two have a tower and one does not. Multiple varieties are […]

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