JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2015
Almond Facts 33
Setting Up Sprayer
"With the new materials that have to be
consumed, getting 50% control is about the
best one can expect," Niederholzer said,
"and that is with doing everything right."
Therefore it is critical to set up the sprayer
for maximum effect. He advises:
• Get the air fow right. The pesticide goes
where the air goes. Suffcient air volume is
needed to move the spray throughout the
target canopy.
• Decide on correct volume. Talk with PCA
and read labels.
• Set nozzles to move the spray into the
canopy with thorough coverage, especially
in the upper 2/3s of the tree where the
majority of the crop is.
• Check the calibration for desired spray
volume.
• Check targeting with a patternator or
similar device to determine spray volume
at various heights with most volume in
upper part of tree and less lower down.
Most of the "miss" typically is on the
orchard foor, not to aerial drift, he noted.
• Check coverage by examining leaves at
different heights in the tree.
• Make necessary adjustments to achieve
desired coverage.
Ground Speed
Changing ground speed is the most effective
way of changing air fow into the canopy,
Niederholzer advised. He told of driving at
less than two miles per hour to achieve the
desired coverage in today's orchards with
heavy canopies.
Protecting Bees
Bees are essential for a crop of almonds,
Niederholzer declared, adding that bloom
sprays are applied to protect a crop from
disease, not to kill insects. Therefore,
the only spray material in the tank
at bloom should be fungicide.
That
includes
adjuvants
, which
should not be
used in fungicide applications during
bloom
or when there is high honey bee
activity in the feld, he urged.
As for adding nutrients and/or insecticides
to the mix at bloom, Niederholzer pointed
out, "There are other effective times to spray nutrients and/or insecticides
on almonds."
"Also, do not spray when bees are fying," he said. "Spray when the pollen is
gone from the fowers, which is late afternoon through early morning." He noted
that one spray at bloom may be all that is needed if the weather is dry.
Niederholzer cautioned growers to be
very careful around bees when using
chlorothanil (Bravo, etc.), captan, and iprodione (Rovral, etc.).
For details on protecting honey bees in almond orchards, consult
Honey Bee
Best Management Practices for California Almonds
, published by the Almond Board
of California.