Over the past several years, specialty crop growers have seen an increasing number of new spraying technologies enter the market. From electrostatic systems to retrofit spray enhancement technologies, manufacturers continue to make claims around improved coverage, reduced inputs, and increased efficiency. While many of these innovations show promise, growers consistently ask one simple question before making an investment:
Does it kill bugs?
That question became the driving force behind a new research initiative led by the Western Growers Innovation and Science Teams.
Last week, Western Growers Innovation partnered with researchers from UC Davis, led by Dr. Ian Grettenberger, to launch the first of several independent field trials focused on evaluating insect control performance of emerging spray technologies under commercial production conditions.
Rather than relying on manufacturer data or laboratory studies, the objective is straightforward: generate independent, university-led data that helps growers make more informed equipment decisions.
Working alongside Mark Mason of Huntington Farms, who helped identify the most important validation criteria from a grower’s perspective, the research team designed a repeatable field protocol centered around the one metric growers care about most—effective insect control.
The trial compared three different spray approaches operating under commercial conditions:
- A conventional broadcast boom sprayer
- An on-target electrostatic spraying system
- A MagrowTec retrofit spray enhancement system
Before any applications were made, the UC Davis team established replicated treatment plots, verified diamondback moth pressure across the field, and mapped treatment zones to ensure the study would produce statistically meaningful results. Each participating technology then completed its application according to the research protocol, allowing researchers to evaluate performance using consistent scientific methods rather than anecdotal observations.
With applications now complete, researchers are monitoring the trial and collecting post-treatment data to quantify differences in insect control across the three systems.
While these results will provide valuable insight, Western Growers views this study as only the beginning.
Pest pressure, weather, crop growth stage, and environmental conditions can all influence spray performance throughout the season. For that reason, the Western Growers Innovation Team will continue conducting additional trials over multiple application windows to build a more comprehensive dataset before drawing conclusions.
This approach reflects a broader commitment by Western Growers to generate practical, grower-focused information that reduces uncertainty around technology adoption. Independent validation from trusted researchers gives growers greater confidence when evaluating new technologies.
A big thanks to On Target Spray Systems and MagrowTec for their willingness to participate in this independent research effort. Advancing agricultural innovation requires collaboration between growers, researchers, and technology developers, and their participation helps generate the unbiased data that benefits the entire specialty crop industry.
Once multiple trials have been completed and the data has been analyzed, Western Growers plans to publish the findings as a publicly available resource for the specialty crop industry. By making these results broadly accessible, growers will have objective information they can use to compare technologies, evaluate return on investment, and make decisions that best fit their operations.
Innovation in agriculture isn’t simply about introducing new technology—it’s about generating trusted data that helps growers adopt the right technology with confidence. Through continued collaboration with leading researchers, progressive growers, and technology developers, Western Growers is helping build the independent evidence needed to accelerate practical innovation across specialty crop production.