Available Technologies

Executive Summary

Profitability in domestic and global fruit markets requires meeting high food quality standards, often through the judicious use of pesticides. Currently, these pesticides are applied using airblast sprayers up to 10 times per growing season. Airblast sprayers deliver only 29 to 56% of the sprayed solution to the tree canopy. A new application system is needed that minimizes the number of pesticide applications and greatly reduces insecticide drift. Trunk injection is now a viable solution for the fruit tree industry. A safe and effective solid plug mechanically injected into the tree trunk delivers pesticides to fruit, nut and other high-value trees throughout the growing season. This novel technology reduces pesticide drift, provides season-long disease and insect control, and is cost-effective relative to airblast spraying. 

Description of Technology

Existing trunk injection methods overload the canopy with a rapid flush of pesticides and require multiple applications per season. Michigan State University’s (MSU) technology is a trunk injection system for treating tree crops once per year for leaf insect pests and leaf pathogens. Biodegradable Slow-Release Plugs are mechanically injected into the trunk of the tree, where sap flow carries the active ingredients to the tree canopy. These plugs provide good season-long insecticide delivery and insect control.

Key Benefits

• Single treatment works all year
• Uniformly distributes pesticide in the leaves
• Reaches 100% of canopy
• Pesticide stays in the tree--essentially zero drift

Applications

• Pesticide manufacturers
• Fruit tree nurseries
• Plant health solution companies

Patent Status:

Provisional patent application filed

Licensing Rights Available

Full licensing rights

Inventors: Dr. John Wise, Dr. Christine VanderVoort, Mr. Charles Coslor

Tech ID: 2016-0013