Natutec Drive has proved to be a cost-effective and accurate way of controlling pests
Koppert’s new applicator for predatory beneficial in protected strawberry crops, Natutec Drive, has produced some excellent results in its first commercial season in the UK.
Feedback from growers shows the Natutec Drive has proved to be a cost-effective and accurate way of controlling pests, taking the use of beneficial and their efficacy to a new level.
Drive’s hi-tech dispersal system, usually mounted on a tractor-drawn trailer, employs a central 60-litre rotating drum that feeds via a hopper into boom-mounted distribution tubes, transporting product via a positive airflow onto the crop.
The operator can select products and dose accurately and quickly using touch screen controls mounted on the tractor. “Our trials have repeatedly shown that predator delivery rates are consistently accurate,” says Koppert technical consultant Jasper Hubert. “And costs have also been dramatically reduced.”
A grower survey showed it took eight to nine workers an average of 47 minutes to treat 1 ha by hand, but with the Natutec Drive one person could treat the same area in 55 minutes, seven to eight times faster. “This produced an average saving of just over £40/ha per application,” says Hubert. “For a 28ha farm carrying out 11-12 applications per season, the average in the survey, this would save a total of around £9600 per year, so the machine more than pays for itself.”
The design also ensures simple filling even when mixing large quantities, keeping refills to a minimum and speeding up the application process. “We had a few electrical glitches and carried out some minor modifications to individual machines,” says Hubert.
All Natutec Drives are custom built and available on lease hire from Agrovista, Koppert’s partner on fruit crops in the UK.
