A bespoke strawberry spraying system has been designed and built by Martin Lishman.
Traditional booms are impractical due to the height and shape of the plants, and achieving complete chemical coverage is a struggle. The Martin Lishman boom is in two sections and specifically shaped to fit around two rows of strawberry plants. Positioning of the nozzles helps achieve high-precision chemical application.
Karl and Mandy Avison from Cedarbarn Farm Shop in Pickering, North Yorkshire, asked if Martin Lishman could help with the strawberry-spraying problems they were having. “Our challenge was to accurately spray the entire strawberry plants,” explains Karl. “With a herbicide program repeated every 10 days, we needed a system that could be quickly set up during favourable weather. Our old system could only spray one row at a time, and because the sprayer was mounted on a 3-point linkage, it made it difficult to navigate uneven ground. Additionally, the flat bar spray resulted in poor penetration of the spray into the plants.”
This bespoke sprayer design is based on the Martin Lishman 250-litre Trailed Midi-Spray.
“The trailed design makes it more versatile for future vehicles, and you can connect it up quicker if the tractor is switching jobs,” says Joel Capper, Managing Director of Martin Lishman. “The new sprayer is very easy to use, and the controls are easily accessible. The independent Honda motor also helps speed up preparation time.
“The new boom means we can now cover two rows of strawberry plants at a time, which saves time, and the penetration of chemicals is excellent.”
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