A more concerted effort to protect cotton from spray drift is being championed by Nutrien Ag Solutions Deniliquin and Finley.
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Deniliquin branch manager Matt Tubb and Finley branch manager Stacey Doolan joined forces recently to host a spray drift forum in Deniliquin.
Special guests included Cotton Australia’s regional manager for Southern NSW Tom Mannes and Scott Kidd from the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
Farmers, retailers and private consultants were all invited.
The focus of the meeting was about the impact chemical drift can have on neighbouring crops, particularly cotton.
The forum discussed the need for more conversation and regulation, with spray drift having the potential to cause tens of millions of dollars worth of damage.
Nutrien Deniliquin agronomist David Toohey said there have been local examples of cotton plants affected by 2,4-D spray drift.
“The issue is how people are using herbicide - the time they are applying it, how it is being applied and the conditions at the time.”
Information provided by Cotton Australia highlighted that “off-target movement” of agricultural chemicals can impact on farmers across all commodities.
But it said cotton is particularly susceptible to damage.
“The greatest impact of spray drift for cotton is the effect of the herbicide 2,4-D,” a spokesperson said.
“Cotton is particularly sensitive to minute amounts of exposure to 2,4-D and every summer growers see varying degrees of damage caused by off-target movement of this product.
“The 2,4-D label requires application using very strict parameters, including spray droplets that are not smaller than very coarse size.
“It must also never be applied when hazardous surface temperature inversions are present.
“Cotton that has been exposed to minor 2,4-D drift may recover and suffer no yield effect, but severe cases can lead to up to 50 per cent yield reduction.
“This leads to significant financial losses for farmers and is frustrating for them because it is always avoidable.”
The cotton industry has taken a proactive stance over many years to equip farmers and contractors about the ways that they can minimise the risks associated with spray application.
Cotton Australia has worked in collaboration with other industry bodies such as Cotton Research and Development Corporation, the New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency, Biosecurity Queensland, APVMA and local community groups such as SOS (Stop Off-target Spraydrift).
“This has resulted in more resources being available than ever before,” the spokesperson said.
“The WAND Tower network is a vital resource which growers can use to determine when the right time is to spray.
“SataMap is also available, which growers can map their various crops to inform others about the location of sensitive crops.
“The Snap Send Solve app makes it easy for growers to report cases of crop damage, and extensive training programs have been run to educate spray operators about the spray parameters they should be using and the appropriate conditions to ensure that the spray gets to the target and doesn’t go over the fence.”
“All growers should make use of the resources available to assist them to make the right decisions with spray application.
“They should ensure that their staff are trained in spray application, and they should ensure that they also have good awareness of the right conditions for spraying.
“They should talk to their neighbours and attend grower meetings to ensure that there is good communication about each other’s activities in their district.
“If they are unsure about where to start, they should reach out to their local Cotton Australia regional manager for assistance.”