Ampersand adjuvant expands functionality

Attune Agriculture, which provides agricultural products using hydrocolloid technology, shared new research for its Ampersand adjuvant showing significant performance increases when paired with soil-applied insecticide and fungicide, according to a news release. This expands the functionality of Ampersand, which was previously recommended for foliar applications.

The soil insecticide trial, conducted in Yuma, Arizona, evaluated Safari insecticide (dinotefuran) on silverleaf whitefly and melons. Safari alone provided less than 20 percent reduction in nymphs, compared to the untreated control. A low-use rate of 0.0625 percent of Ampersand provided over 60 percent control, and a high-use rate of 0.5 percent provided 75 percent control. The addition of Ampersand as a tank-mixed partner increased whitefly control as much as 300 percent, compared to the standard alone, according to the release.

The soil fungicide trial, conducted in Valley Center, California, evaluated Segway O fungicide (cyazofamid) on Phytophthora and peppers using a disease severity scale of zero to 10, with zero being no impact and 10 being 100 percent plant mortality. Forty-two days after treatment, the untreated crop had a severity rating of 9.8, whereas Segway O alone had a rating of 5.3, a 45.9 percent reduction in disease severity. The addition of Ampersand at 0.25 percent had a rating of 1.6, or an 83.7 percent reduction in disease severity, according to the release. 

Ampersand works in soil applications by keeping the application in the root zone longer, compared to applications with the active and water alone. This allows actives more time for absorption into the plant.

“Many thanks to our growers who observed more effective control and higher yields when pairing Ampersand with soil-applied pesticides,” said Ed Quattlebaum, director of product development at Attune Agriculture. “Their anecdotal feedback led us to test this functionality with third-party research trials. The increase in efficacy was unexpected and massive.” 

For more information, visit: attuneag.com.

SIMBA now provides one-step scanning receiving process 

Dynamic Systems Inc., a Kirkland, Washington, software developer specializing in solutions for seafood, fresh food and meat processors, recently launched a new feature for SIMBA, the application that provides production and inventory tracking and traceability reporting using barcode technology, according to a news release.

The SIMBA software application records inventory from receiving through production, storage and shipping. For companies that receive cartons labeled with a GS1 barcode, the new receiving feature reduces the receiving steps to one scan. SIMBA’s database is automatically populated with the information that is tied to the GS1 code. 

For more information, visit: dynamic-systemsinc.com.

GUSS releases all-electric autonomous herbicide sprayer

GUSS Automation’s autonomous herbicide orchard sprayer is now available in a 100 percent electric version, according to a news release. Electric GUSS uses a combination of GPS, lidar and proprietary technology for accurate coverage and allows a single employee to operate and monitor a combination of up to eight GUSS machines using a laptop computer.

The machine’s spot-spraying weed detection system identifies chlorophyll in the weeds and only sprays where weeds are detected. This technology saves up to 90 percent of the material being sprayed, increasing precision and efficiency while decreasing costs and material drift, according to the release.

“We have been asked countless times about making GUSS electric,” said Gary Thompson, chief operating officer at GUSS Automation. “An electric herbicide sprayer made the most sense to us, given that the battery life can last an entire shift while performing this highly important orchard task. Combining the electric benefits of low operating costs and zero tailpipe emissions with spot-spraying weed detection technology makes Electric GUSS a winner.”

For more information, visit: gussag.com.