Nanotechnology could revolutionize agricultural chemicals, according to Kurt Ristroph, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Purdue.

“You can stabilize active ingredients into very small particles in water,” he says. With smaller droplets, the effectiveness of the chemicals can be dramatically improved.

Ristroph, who has a background in pharmaceutical formulation, is researching organic, carbon-based nanocarriers that have a core-shell structure for large-scale agricultural use. Nanocarriers are the containers that carry an active ingredient within a liquid carrier, such as water.

Making these containers smaller lets the active ingredient be absorbed by plants more easily. It also reduces the amount of liquid carrier that’s required to suspend the active ingredient. Ristroph’s research has big implications.

When spraying fungicide, “only 5% of what I’m applying in the field actually ends up going to the location of the disease and doing its job. That means that 95% of what is applied is wasted,” he says, noting environmental implications of agricultural runoff. “Can we do better? If we can get that number to 10% or 15%, we could greatly reduce the amount of fungicide we need to apply.”

Right now, Ristroph describes many suspension-based formulations of agrochemical active ingredients as “coarse,” meaning the container size is much larger than nanoparticles. As a result, much of the product isn’t immediately absorbed and drips off leaves or otherwise misses its mark.

Ristroph says there are already some nanoparticle products in the agricultural marketplace. And at Purdue, he’s leading a team developing antimicrobial nanoparticle formulations to treat a bacterium that infects citrus trees. He calls it an “existential threat to the Florida citrus industry.” And while the bacteria isn’t difficult to kill, it’s very hard to reach inside the plant. Nanotechnology could be the answer.

“At the very least, at the most basic level, formulating active ingredients into nanoparticles, or nano-sized suspensions, improves their wettability on the surface of leaves,” he says. “The goal is to spray less per acre, but still get the same protection per acre.”

Rantizo spray drones connect
to John Deere Operations Center

Rantizo, one of the nation’s largest spray drone networks, has connected its AcreConnect productivity platform with John Deere’s Operations Center. Now, drone operators can share “as covered” and “as applied” application maps with customers via Operations Center.

“Connecting AcreConnect to the John Deere Operations Center supports our promise to deliver better service,” says Jeff Holman, Rantizo’s chief product technology officer. “Both independent operators and those at retail locations stand to gain significant value from their ability to share application data directly to a grower’s account.”

The connection, which was made through John Deere’s API services, ensures spray records are included with other application information and field data, giving farmers and retailers a more comprehensive view of their operations.

Calmer concave upgrade kit now
available for Deere rotary combines

Calmer Corn Heads has released a new concave upgrade kit for John Deere rotary combines. The kit includes three new enhanced-flow round bar concaves, four cover plates and 12 materials other than grain limiting inserts. Its adaptability is due to the inserts, which can easily be changed in the field.

“This kit allows the farmer to quickly adapt to various grain sizes, volume and crop conditions,” says Marion Calmer, the company’s founder.

Through research, Calmer says he discovered that most concaves from original equipment manufacturers have a narrow opening between the round bars that constricts corn flow at the rate that is needed. Through a rigorous testing process, the brand has developed a system that allows for optimal flow rate.

“I have been operating harvest equipment for nearly 60 years. This kit has the possibility of being the most advanced threshing technology on the market today,” Calmer says. “Once I realized what was preventing us farmers from getting the machine to do what we needed it to, I was determined to find a way to make the combines adaptable in a more convenient way for the farmer. And we have accomplished that.”

A similar upgrade kit for Case IH combines is scheduled for release next year.