Compact sprayer manufacturer Martin Lishman has designed a bespoke strawberry plant spraying system that meets the stringent requirements of customers in that sector.
The radical sprayer design is based on the company’s 250-litre Trailed Midi-Spray. It has a one-of-a-kind, two-section, height-adjustable folding boom specifically shaped to fit around two rows of strawberry plants. This has a unique nozzle placement that guarantees a high-precision application of chemicals to the plants.
Given the nature of strawberry plants, achieving 100 per cent chemical coverage remains a constant struggle. Traditional spray booms have proven impractical due to the height and shape of the plants. It’s a problem Karl and Mandy Avison from Pickering, North Yorkshire, know all too well on their 4ha soft fruit farm.
“Our challenge was to accurately spray the entire strawberry plants,” Mr Avison said. “With a herbicide programme 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 three-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.”
When the Avisons approached Martin Lishman for help, the company was happy to help.
“Customisation is something that seems to have been lost in today’s mass-produced world,” the managing director, Joel Capper, said. “While there are some amazing sprayers on the market today, customers sometimes require something that doesn’t exist. Our entire sprayer range is designed to be easily adaptable to meet these special user requirements.”
“The new sprayer is very easy to use, and the controls are easily accessible, which is very important,” Mr Avison said. “The independent Honda engine also helps speed up preparation time, and 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.”
