AgroPages-Argentina saves 73% herbicides with selective spraying-Agricultural news

By Leonardo Gottems, Reporter for AgroPages

As of 2012, in northeastern Argentina, the area with glyphosate tolerant weeds began to grow significantly, making up 37% of the surface. The cost of the herbicides necessary to control these glyphosate tolerant species also increased, exceeding US$100/ha, said María José Galdeano, advisor to CREA Charata, a civil nonprofit association integrated and managed by agricultural entrepreneurs in the Chaco province.

“Faced with this situation, in 2012, we began testing selective spray equipment to apply the herbicide only at the point detected as weeds in fallow. In 2014, there were already 14 teams in the area, and today, there are 208 working in the CREA Chaco Santiagueño region, which covers the west of the first province and the east of the second,” he added.

Using infrared light, tools such as “Weed Seeker” and “Weed It” identify undesirable species from a very young age. Then, they spray them with the herbicide through a specific application, without wasting the product in areas where there are no weeds present.

“The achievements reported during seven years of work with selective spraying, combined with service crops, have saved 73% of herbicide use on an average and reported a 33% reduction in the cost of weed control in dollars. Simultaneously, the surface with problematic weeds also saw a decline from 37 to 13 percent through the use of specific herbicides applied in a focused manner to weeds,” he said.

In addition, the environmental impact of the application of agrochemicals was reduced by 60%, measured by the Environmental Impact Coefficient of Cornell University, an indicator that refers to the potential damage of products applied to vulnerable species or physical damage to the ecosystem.

The index takes data from a list that considers the impact of each product on the applicator, as well as the consumer and the environment. It also evaluates the toxicity on plants, birds, fish and beneficial insects, and analyzes the half-life in the soil and the mode of action, in addition to taking into account the chronic effects on human health, among other factors.