Plant nursery operators, environmentalists and natural resource managers are gathering in Boring this week for field demonstrations of a new "smart sprayer" that could dramatically reduce pesticide applications.
The sprayer uses laser sensors to detect plant height, width and volume and adjusts the flow of pesticide from spray nozzles accordingly. A model tested last year reduced pesticide use by 65 percent while still controlling pests. Reducing pesticide use could save nurseries money and reduce the potential environmental impact as well.
The sprayer was developed by a team of researchers from Oregon State University, Ohio State University, the University of Tennessee and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Application Technology Research Unit.
The demonstrations are hosted by the Hans Nelson & Sons nursery in Boring. Growers will attend the Tuesday session, and environmental group representatives and natural resource managers will attend the Wednesday session.
This isn't the first time the nursery industry -- Oregon's leading agricultural sector with about $745 million in annual sales -- has been on the leading edge of technology. In 2011, another Boring nursery, J. Frank Schmidt & Son, hosted a demonstraton of a remote-controlled helicopter equipped with a camera and guided by GPS technology.
In its simplest application, the six-rotor drone craft, about 3 feet across, can be programmed to fly over a business and take inventory. Researchers believe they could equip it with various sensors to detect disease, scout for irrigation or fertilizer problems, measure plants and predict crop yield.
--Eric Mortenson
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