Welcome to Grower's Edge

Grower’s Edge aims to help growers achieve best practice and maximise returns through crop based solutions, services and information that add value to your business and give you an edge.

Australian growers have a long standing reputation for producing some of the best fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables in the world. To sustain this reputation for delivering premium produce, Grower’s Edge, with our industry partners, will bring to you the latest trial data, best use guides, product updates, new releases and industry information to help you grow better.

Managing pests and diseases through planning your spray program for best practice.

Grape yield, berry and wine quality can all be severely affected by vineyard pests and diseases, meaning lower productivity and profitability. A well-planned spray program can give you the confidence of knowing that you have the right tools and best practices in place to meet these challenges.

Faster is not better when it comes to spraying. Understand the impacts of travel speed on coverage and penetration.

The faster you can go, the faster you can get around the blocks when spraying. However, if you go too fast, you risk having the canopy not being properly penetrated by the sprayer, explains David Manktelow.

Understanding nozzle choice when spraying to improve performance.

Nozzle selection is based on delivering the appropriate spray volume and maximising coverage whilst minimising drift. There's a whole range of nozzles available for use, with a few important points about each type that can improve their performance, explains David Manktelow.

Discover how driving direction is one of the biggest factors affecting spray quality.

Simple things such as driving direction have big impacts when spraying. David Manktelow explains how, and why, you need to vary your driving direction to avoid dead spots in the spray deposit of the canopy.

Simple visual inspection of a sprayer is critical for optimal set-up.

David Manktelow outlines why, before you even turn on a sprayer, a critical step in setting up a sprayer is to park it in a row and have a look at how it’s set-up. Including, providing a simple checklist for assessing sprayer symmetry.

Optimal sprayer set-up tips to achieve good deposits and minimise off target losses.

Proper sprayer set-up can achieve gains in spray deposits of up to 20 percent. David Manktelow gives some tips on how to achieve optimal results with some simple adjustments.

An introduction to visualising and optimising your spray coverage performance.

David Manktelow explains why one of the final parts of setting up a sprayer correctly is visualising the coverage that you're actually achieving in the canopy. Especially prior to critical growth stages, such as flowering and prior to pre-bunch closure.

Simple tips for adjusting your sprayer to match seasonal growth.

It’s critical to get the application rates right for different canopies, so David Manktelow outlines how to adjust your sprayer for seasonal growth variation.

Getting sprayer set-up and spray volumes right to maximise your crop protection application

Sprayer adjustment and evaluation is essential to maximise coverage throughout the canopy. This involves determining the best spray droplet size and air volume, speed and direction.

Understanding the ‘point of run off’ when spraying

Many crop protection labels refer to ‘spraying to the point of run-off’, but what exactly does that mean? Understanding this is important for effective and efficient spraying of tree and vine crops.

The importance of optimising droplet size to ensure proper spray application.

So, why is droplet size so important? There are a number of reasons, including label requirements, efficacy, coverage and spray drift management. By optimising droplet size range, you will ensure your products have the best chance of success.

Grower stories

Insect control vital for grape growers

Escalating mealybug and scale populations and presented winegrape growers with a real challenge in recent seasons. Read about the range of strategies they have been using to meet this challenge.

Scale & sooty mould posing challenges for grapegrowers

Increased infestations of scale and the related sooty mould have been growing problems for South Australian winegrape growers in recent seasons

Movento takes pest control to new level for wine industry

Viticulturists across Australia have a new tool at their disposal to tackle serious pests following the recent registration of Movento® 240 SC Insecticide for wine grapes.

Mount Benson grape grower ready to move on, fight scale

There are some years in the game you just want to put behind you and move on, and 2016-17 was one of those for South Australian winegrape grower Andy Murdock, when winds and scale “hammered’’ a lot of the vines.

Protecting grape quality

Faulty sprayers can be the cause of disease and lost crop, which makes the time spent on sprayer maintenance, time well spent.

Download this checklist for regular maintenance requirements and tick off the tasks that can make a big difference to the way your sprayer delivers spray to the vine canopy.

Insect pressure at Christmas time

It’s not only powdery mildew and botrytis which can arrive as unwanted guests around Christmas time - insects can also join in on the vineyard festivities!

Managing the threat of botrytis over summer

Flowering occurs from late October to late December, depending on variety and location, and it is arguably the most important time to protect and maintain vine health.

Bayfidan® tips

Effective spray coverage is essential - this can be achieved by adjusting sprayer set up to target the canopy and bunches

Powdery mildew does not shut down for Christmas

Weather conditions over the festive season can be very favourable for the spread of powdery mildew, often referred to as the ‘dry weather disease’, with young berries particularly susceptible to infection.

Disease control vital for optimum grape production

Getting disease control right in vineyards is vital not only to maximise input efficiency and effectiveness, but also to optimise production and fruit quality. Viticulturists have plenty of things to consider when it comes to disease control, from chemical selection and rotation to spray interval management and application techniques.

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Welcome to Grower's Edge

Grower’s Edge aims to help growers achieve best practice and maximise returns through crop based solutions, services and information that add value to your business and give you an edge.

Spray planning

Travel speed

Nozzle choice

Driving direction

Inspect your sprayer

Sprayer set-up

Spray coverage

Seasonal growth

Spray volumes

Run off

Droplet Size

Spray planning

Managing pests and diseases through planning your spray program for best practice.

Travel speed

Faster is not better when it comes to spraying. Understand the impacts of travel speed on coverage and penetration.

Nozzle choice

Understanding nozzle choice when spraying to improve performance.

Driving direction

Discover how driving direction is one of the biggest factors affecting spray quality.

Inspect your sprayer

Simple visual inspection of a sprayer is critical for optimal set-up.

Sprayer set-up

Optimal sprayer set-up tips to achieve good deposits and minimise off target losses.

Spray coverage

An introduction to visualising and optimising your spray coverage performance.

Seasonal growth

Simple tips for adjusting your sprayer to match seasonal growth.

Spray volumes

Getting sprayer set-up and spray volumes right to maximise your crop protection application

Run off

Understanding the ‘point of run off’ when spraying

Droplet Size

The importance of optimising droplet size to ensure proper spray application.

Featured Video

Vintage 2019 was a hot, dry season that put stress on the vines, growers and managers

More videos you might like

Before you start your spraying programme this season, it's critical to do some pre-season maintenance.

Sprayer calibration is more complex than just liquid, it's about configuring all of your machine.

Grower’s Edge teams up with Silvan Sprayers to provide insight on techniques to get the best out of your sprayer and spray application.

Introducing Grower’s Edge from Bayer. Information designed to help all Australian horticultural growers.

Vintage 2018 EU regulatory announcement and a new biological botryticide.

Movento Trial - Controlling mealybugs in table grapes

Grower stories

Protecting grape quality

Featured resources

Movento 240 SC - Table and Wine Grapes Users' Guide

Scala users guide for vineyards

Teldor 500 SC Users' Guide for Vineyards

Prosper Users' Guide for vineyards

Viticulture Shed Poster

Sprayer Maintenance Checklist

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