Across the corn belt depending on time of year | It is all about aeriation and available oxygen. In an aeriated water solution in which nematodes are delivered, they are happy for an extended length of time. However once delivered, it is on the farmer to make sure the solution is aeriated until application. We supply the air pumps, but power failure on farms do happen and that is the responsibility of the farmer. In this regards, the farmer should make application a priority once they have received the solution containing nematodes.
Once added to a sprayer and diluted in the 50 gals per acre of water, sprayer agitation is sufficient to maintain the required oxygen until applied to the field. Nematode application in equipment without agitation like planters need to add some method for aeriation (12 volt compressor, inverter to run the 120v air pumps).
What we don't want is for the farmer/applicator to fill a sprayer, add nematodes and then go eat dinner, leaving the solution without agitation.
Most farmers realize that there is a significant number of $$$ in that tank of nematode solution and want to get them applied to the field where the nematodes are safe from power failure and start doing their thing hunting insects. |
Biological Control of Rootworm - A link to a recent presentation
