Radak ConveyorProduct Name:
SILVAN AND RADAK COMBINE TO REDUCE DISEASE
A Silvan trailed air blast sprayer with Radak Conveyor is proving an ideal combination for macadamia nut grower Ron Barnett at Tregeagle in New South Wales.
Ron utilises the Silvan sprayer and Radak Conveyor for all fungicide and pesticide control in his macadamia orchard of 27 hectares that he established 14 years ago.
He recently upgraded the Radak Conveyor, which Ron believes has been responsible for a dramatic reduction in husk spot disease. Ron’s macadamias are sold to a local processor as nut-in-shell.
“The Radak Conveyor is only one season old and it was bought to address a husk spot problem that was resulting in fruit dropping immaturely,” Ron said.
“We wanted better penetration into the canopy and with the new Radak Conveyor this season we have had nowhere near the husk spot of the previous year. And I have more crop as a result.
“At this stage, I can only put that down to better penetration of the spray. Plus I can travel a bit quicker during spraying, which makes it more efficient. I am very happy with the results so far.”
Ron bought his 1500 litre trailed air blast Silvan sprayer and the Radak Conveyor through Ongmac Trading at Lismore. He bought the trailed sprayer in 1994.
Ron said that he is also very happy with the service and support from Ongmac, where “the staff are very professional and thorough”.
When spraying, Ron said he finds the Radak Conveyor’s adjustable top wings great for accurately directing the spray onto the trees, particularly where the ground is sloping.
“It’s very easy to operate, but I am thinking about moving towards solenoid controls for the adjustable wings so they can be moved on the go from the tractor cabin.”
Ron has been using Silvan equipment for 14 years, including two linkage mounted spray tanks.
“In that time, I have never had a problem with them. The sprayers get a pretty hard life here, but I have no complaints whatsoever.”
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