Gary Omori, a custom applicator with AG RX in Salinas, California, has seen thirty years of evolution in electrostatic sprayers.
His top choice today is On Target.
“On Target sprayers are sleeker than the older electrostatic sprayers, the housings protect a lot of the fragile electrical parts, and the efficacy of the actual electrical components has improved, as well,” Omori said.
“The old electrostatic sprayers were clunkier, the wires were exposed; there were more areas where there could be failures. Today, with the On Target sprayers, we are getting better results overall and experiencing less down time,” he said.
Omori currently has five On Target sprayers with plans to add more.
He uses the technology to meet nearly all of his spraying needs, including in crops such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, vegetable row crops like lettuce, wine grapes, and he is planning on using them in table grapes.
“On Target sprayers are very versatile,” he said.
Omori said he was first attracted to electrostatic technology because of the wrap around features that improve efficacy of sprays. “More chemical hits the target when it is applied electrostatically,” Omori said, “whereas with a conventional sprayer, more product is going off into the atmosphere.”
The fact the sprayers use less water than conventional sprayers also attracted him.
“The On Targets will use ten gallons of water per acre, whereas, with the conventional sprayers, we use one-hundred to one-hundred-fifty gallons per acre. You can do ten times as much without stopping for mixing,” Omori said.
“It is a time saver,” he said, “and you can cover more acres per day.”
Asked if he would recommend On Target for a grower, Omori said: “Absolutely. It is a good return on investment. They will be more productive, save time, spray less and get better quality crops.”