INTERNATIONAL
Low Volume REVOLUTION by Lucas Zanoni
Analyzing the aerial spraying industry in Brazil shows many similarities to the United States - a large number of aircraft flying over fields using the latest application and guidance technology to protect infinite crops from pests and disease. But there is one remarkable operational difference that stands out - while an American ag plane will be leaving a trail in the shape of a curtain, the pattern of a Brazilian ag plane is characterized by distinctive tracks. During the last few years, the Brazilian ag aviation industry gravitated towards the use of rotary atomizer nozzles. There are many reasons: easier maintenance due to less equipment in the booms, versatility to calibrate different application rates and droplet sizes, more efficient coverage and better crop results and increased profitability for the operator. Ag aviation operators in all parts of Brazil are increasingly adapting this type of technology. From the smaller aircraft (like Embraers, Cessnas and Pawnees) to the larger ones (AT-802, AT-802 and Thrush 710P and 510P), atomizer nozzles are used with a variety of products applied to a wide range of agricultural crops. In this article, we will share the recent history of some operators who have been leading the way in Brazil.
Serrana Aviação Agrícola and Balzan Family Serrana Aviação Agrícola is one of the largest aerial applicators in South America, owning an expansive fleet of Air A 12 | agairupdate.com
Tractors. The Balzan family’s company (who come from agricultural roots) was founded in 1998 and is located in the city of São Gabriel do Oeste (in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazilian Midwest). It provides services all over the country spraying sugarcane, soybeans, rice, cotton, corn and forests. Serrana is one of the ag aviation operations that have been pioneering the aerial firefighting program in recent years, working both with the Brazilian government and neighboring countries (see the January 2021 and October 2019 editions of AgAir Update’s sister publication, AerialFire).
above 1 GPA (10 liters/ha) when working with loads that have several products and require a greater dilution.
A view of the headquarters of Serrana Aviação Agrícola in the Brazilian Midwest. The company has operations all around the country and has been helping Zanoni Equipamentos to develop application technologies for over a decade.
Part of Serrana’s fleet of Air Tractors. Located in the Midwest region of Brazil, Serrana Aviação
Caio is part of the second generation of the
Agrícola is one of the largest agricultural aircraft
Balzan family in the company. A pilot since
operators in the world.
2014, he flies in agricultural operations during the season and aerial firefighting during the dry
The company introduced the use of rotary atomizer nozzles back in the early 2000s, when it started working with application rates below 1 GPA (10 liters/ ha). Over time, the application rates have been increasingly reduced and, in the last season, tests and applications of up to 0.05 GPA (0.5 liter/ha) were carried out on cotton. The company works with rates of up to 2 GPA (20 liters/ha) with atomizers, using the lowest rate for the application of insecticides and rates
months in Brazil.
Caio Balzan, a second-generation agricultural pilot, commented on some of the reasons that led them to utilize the rotary atomzier: “The demand came from our customers and with the research, we realized that in addition to this type of application making the service faster and cheaper, the efficiency and the agronomic result were improving due to the high concentration of
