The Problem with Pesticides
Pesticide application is necessary in the vast majority of vineyards due to multiple fungal and insect threats. Whilst the specific threat may vary by region or year or site, the need to treat these threats with atomised sprays is unavoidable.
However, the damage done by over-spraying of these chemicals is dramatic:
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Heavy metal build up in soils (especially copper)
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Aerial drift
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CO2 produced in the production of these sprays
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CO2 produced in driving power-hungry sprayers on multiple passes
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Soil compaction due to biodiversity reduction, and repeated passes with heavy machinery
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Potential for residues on fruit
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Operator exposure
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Overspray into the undervine area damaging both worm populations and beneficial fungi
Conventional Spraying
We believe that the majority of this damage isn’t done by what you are spraying, but by how you are spraying.
Airblast sprayers use vast quantities of airflow with very high power requirements to create droplets and smash them towards the target. By its very nature this is a crude and imprecise method, overspraying in many places, underspraying in others, and often missing the target altogether.
Recycling sprayers are an improvement, but typically lead to a drench spray rather than an even 30% area of coverage. They are also very expensive and only work in certain widely-spaced and relatively flat vineyards
Precision spraying
By achieving precise control over droplet creation and then applying those droplets using artificial intelligence, Cordon allows a revolutionary decrease in pesticide volumes whilst maintaining full levels of protection from disease.