From mobile spraying to fixed spraying
Many challenges
Currently, the main technique used for the application of crop protection products in tree fruit production is multi-directional airblast spraying. This technique has the major disadvantage of generating a high dispersion of crop protection products. However, in recent years and especially since January 2020, the constraints on their application have been increasing in order to limit their impact on humans and the environment. Spray treatments in certain sensitive areas are already strongly on the decline. They are less and less accepted by the public, sometimes technically difficult to achieve (off-target drift related to materials and application techniques) and can generate risks for the immediate environment of the treated trees (fauna, flora, the public, problem of re-entry interval...). Urbanization is taking residents closer to cultivated areas, confronting them with certain issues (noise from the sprayer and the tractor, allergic reactions and diseases linked to the products applied...).
Casdar PulVeFix project
These observations have led to the search for alternatives to the use of sprayers. Among the avenues of work, fixed spraying on foliage was the subject of study of the Casdar Research and Technology PulVeFix project (see Box 1) led by the CTIFL in partnership with the C efel and La Morinière experimental stations, the Netafim company specialized in micro-irrigation at an international level, and with the support of the regulatory authorities, DGAL (Directorate General for Food) and Anses (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety).