With 42% of England’s 486 protected drinking water areas at risk from agricultural pollutants, and with more than 70% of the UK’s pesticide actives being removed from circulation since the 1990s, Adama has developed an enhanced version of its popular WaterAware app.
The original WaterAware app was designed to help sprayer operators prevent key active ingredients from entering raw water supplies and to avoid further regulatory restrictions on herbicides and pesticides. The app spatially assimilates soil type and soil moisture deficit information along with forecasted weather conditions and uses a traffic light system to advise when it is safe or unsafe to make chemical or pellet applications.
Having taken feedback from users, the updated app makes existing functions easier to navigate and allows users to save and store data according to either the products being used, or the fields being risk assessed.
#SlugAware: early warning system to combat slug activity
The updated app also incorporates Adama’s new #SlugAware feature which enables users to assess the risk of slug and snail activity on a field-by-field basis.
#SlugAware is designed to protect the longevity of metaldehyde-based slug pellets such as Gusto 3 by ensuring pellets are only applied when absolutely necessary. By assessing soil type, humidity, soil moisture, temperature, cultivation method, wind and current and previous crops, #SlugAware gives growers a low, medium or high threat of slug activity warning based on their land’s specific conditions in a given 24 to 72 hour period.
Better crop protection decisions
“Put simply, if we as an industry don’t do more to protect our natural water resources, regulatory pressures will result in farmers facing a future with even fewer active ingredients and significantly restricted weed and pest control options,” explains Ali Bosher, Marketing and Technical Director at Adama.
“The improvements to WaterAware and the introduction of #SlugAware are therefore aimed at giving growers better advice and helping them to make better informed crop protection decisions by ensuring key active ingredients are only ever applied at a safe and relevant time.”
The WaterAware app is free to download from Google Play or the Apple Store. BASIS and NRoSO points are available for using the app.
For more information about WaterAware contact ukenquiries@adama.com or visit www.adama.com/uk/en/
