Syngenta Spray Assist is a new App created to help sprayer operators to select the most appropriate application techniques on-the-fly.
The simple to use App links to live local weather data, to analyse the factors that influence accurate application and potential risk of spray drift, including wind, rain or frost. The App suggests techniques to enable sprayer operators to mitigate risks or alter practices.
Demonstrating a new beta-test update of Spray Assist at LAMMA 2020 (Birmingham, 7-8 January 2020), Syngenta Application Specialist, Scott Cockburn, highlighted the potential for digital technology to provide up to date decision support solutions.
“Syngenta application trials research has shown the potential for even small tweaks in sprayer set-up and operation to make significant differences in results achieved, including grass weed control and fungicide treatments.
“Sprayer operators also play a huge role in managing the potential risk of spray drift – to ensure sprays hit the intended target and give the best performance,” he added.
“Spray Assist will further help them make better informed decisions and tailor their application techniques to optimise results.”
Users can enter plans for cropping, locations, and product use and application timings. Further personalising the data with the farm’s application equipment enables advanced algorithms to provide guidance on the most appropriate available sprayer setup in any selected situation, for the forecasted weather conditions.
Operators can also customise weather condition risks to prioritise factors, such as humidity, temperature, rain or wind. Selecting a proposed spray time up to four days in advance, the App will indicate if conditions are likely to be best to spray; if spraying could be undertaken – possibly with suggested mitigating measures – or if the application is not advisable.
With planned spraying operations for specific crops and treatment targets, the App will suggest the most appropriate nozzle selections and sprayer operation, for speed and water volume, for example, to deliver the best possible results.
Spray Assist is free to download now as a beta-test version from the App Store or Google Play. Registered users will receive free updates as they are developed and released.
The new App is one of a suite of application tools developed by Syngenta as part of the New Farming Technologies initiative, to harness the potential of a digital agriculture future.
