We have had the opportunity to work with the Far North Farmacist team, to apply Moddus trials for their local sugarcane growers across the Gordonvale and Mulgrave areas.
Moddus is a foliar absorbed plant growth regulator (PGR) that has been shown to increase sugar yields. The active ingredient, trinexapac-ethyl, can extend the window between application and harvest (28 to 60 days), giving growers greater harvest flexibility under adverse weather. The product can also improve harvest efficiency by reducing lodging of sugarcane crops and has demonstrated root growth stimulation, resulting in better water and nutrient use efficiencies in trials conducted in Brazil.
At Aloomba and across the Cairns region our team have conducted Moddus trials on the sugarcane crops belonging to Doug Hardwick, Ross Leotta and Mark Savina. To facilitate the application, we utilised one of our DJI T40 spray drones, which efficiently delivers 1.1 hectares of Moddus product per tank. With a swift average refill and battery charging time of 6-8 minutes, including take-off and landing, our T40 drones demonstrate exceptional performance.
Operating at an optimal distance of approximately 2.5 metres above the sugarcane canopy, our drone utilises terrain-follow technology to autonomously track the crop’s canopy. This intelligent feature ensures a constant distance is maintained, resulting in consistent and effective coverage of the cane. The Moddus trials showcased promising outcomes, offering growers enhanced flexibility in managing their crops with an extended application-to-harvest window.
If you’re interested in applying Moddus to your crop, contact us now!
Some Extra Features & Benefits of Moddus:
- Boosts sugar yield without reducing cane yield, increasing grower profits
- Accelerates natural ripening process, allowing growers control over maturity
- Inhibits gibberellic acid (GA), a plant hormone responsible for cell elongation
- Helps with lodging, improving harvest efficiency
- Good crop tolerance
