Adulticide treatment against the olive fly through the drone is the news relaunched by Lombardy region which activated an experimental project with the technical support of the interprovincial association of Lombard olive producers (Aipol) and of the Experimental and Agricultural Assistance Center of Liguria (Cersaa).
The trials interested an olive grove of about 3 thousand square meters in Desenzano del Garda (BS): leccino variety with plants of an average height of 4 meters, with polyconic vase and with a 5×6 as planting layout.
In drone, equipped with six propellers and weighing 25 kilos, has been loaded a tank with 10 liters of water where the plant protection product was diluted. Raised in flight, employed 6 minutes to distribute the adulticidal bait throughout the affected area.
The advantage, rather than in economic terms or reduction of time (in the end it is about 20 minutes per hectare), could be that of timeliness of intervention, in the sense of being able to carry out the treatment even in land that is inaccessible to agricultural vehicles because it is wet after a rain (when the drupe cleans itself and therefore is more subject to attack) or after a hailstorm (when there is perhaps an urgent need for treatment for some varieties against mange). It could also be particularly useful in olive groves located in inaccessible or inaccessible areas for a tractor or simply more distant from the vehicle depot.
“It is the beginning of an experiment that will be repeated three more times in the same terrain – he explains Paul Zani (in the picture), technical manager of Aipol for the lower Garda area – so as to allow us to understand if it is an effective and functional project. In particular, in this phase we are interested in evaluating the calibration of the nozzles, how much product reaches the plant and how much the soil, if there is dispersion beyond the border of the olive grove itself, also examining the active infestation. We have chosen an olive grove that has characteristics similar to many others both in terms of variety, type of cultivation and planting layout, so that it can be replicated in any other part of Italy if the results are comforting in terms of efficacy and cost reduction".
The activity was authorized by Ministry of Health. In addition to fly control, the drone could be used for all those activities that require the distribution of plant protection products.
"National legislation does not provide, to date - recalled in this regard theregional councilor for agriculture Fabio Rolfi – the use of drones for the application of plant protection products. Our plan, the first at national level, will lead the way for the entire Italian sector. We expect excellent results. An adaptation of the law must also start from here ".
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