TICKS ALL BOXES

When the Roberts family needed a larger sprayer to protect the vines that produce their Riversdale Estate wines, they knew what they were looking for.  

It had to thoroughly penetrate the canopy in their narrow vineyard rows, it had to be able to work effectively across multiple rows, and it had to use water and chemicals efficiently to minimise input costs and machine hours.  

They selected a three-row version of Croplands’ latest Quantum Vine Pro sprayer, and it has definitely ticked all three boxes. 

Riversdale Estate is in the heart of Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, between Hobart and Richmond. Its 45 ha of vineyard make up one part of a larger farm, which was established as a grazing operation back in the 1820s. 

Ian and Wendy Roberts bought Riversdale Estate in 1980, initially to run their world class Angora goat stud program. The development of irrigation schemes in the Coal River district beginning in the 1990s has allowed the family to diversify their farming operation. 

Today, along with wine grapes, Riversdale Estate produces broadacre crops, meat, wool, lucerne and hay. It also has an agritourism dimension with accommodation and a restaurant, where you can dine on the farm’s lamb accompanied by their still and sparkling wines. 

Ian and Wendy’s son Rainier is Riversdale Estate’s vineyard manager. Rainier says the Estate’s cool climate creates some challenges for winemaking. They have a long growing season with grapes ripening from mid-February to May, as well as a bigger threat from fungal diseases.  

We can control disease in the vineyard 80-85 percent of the time with sustainable organic products such as copper and sulphur. If we have a bad weather forecast or a serious issue, such as botrytis, we can use specific chemicals to target the problem.

Rainier Roberts, Vineyard Manager, Riversdale Estate, Tasmania

With sprays going onto vines every week or every two weeks, Riversdale Estate’s vineyard sprayer is in constant use, and, as Rainier says, inputs are not getting any cheaper. So last year the family decided to get a larger, more efficient sprayer.  

They had their checklist of what they wanted the new sprayer to achieve. They also knew about the performance of Croplands sprayers because they already used a one-row version and were impressed with its performance. 

So the decision was made to get the Quantum Vine Pro. It has a 2500-litre tank and Croplands’ innovative high-volume QM-420 fans. The fans give effective canopy penetration and can spray at a wide range of application rates while minimising spray drift. 

“The new Vine Pro arrived around Christmas 2024, so we have used it for the second half of the season. It gives coverage second to none,” Rainier says. 

“It does an outstanding job of penetrating the canopy because it does not rely on direct power from the tractor’s PTO to run the fans. 

“Instead, the PTO powers hydraulic Powerpack which in turn  run the fans. This gives them a strong, constant flow. 

“We run it with a 105-hp John Deere specialist tractor or our new 115-hp Massey Ferguson. The spray rate changes automatically as the speed of the tractor changes.  

“Or we can adjust it manually, so we can drive slowly and set the fan speed that we want. We do not have to drive faster to increase the fan pressure, and we can select the best spray-to-water ratio., the unit is fitted with Arag ISOBUS controls 

“Because we can change the fan speed on individual rows, if it is a bit windy we can adjust the speed on each one to get the right application, the unit is also fitted with Wind compensation for variable upwind or down wind variation all from within the cabin of the tractor 

Rainier says vineyards sprays have gone up in price 20 to 40 percent over the past five years. With the Vine Pro he doesn’t waste chemicals by over applying and he doesn’t have to flood the vineyard with water to get the application rate he needs. 

Opting for a three-row model rather a two-row model was also a good decision, he says. It saves a huge amount of time, which means fewer driving hours for the driver, the tractor and the sprayer.  

With the large tank there are fewer refills, and he can spray the entire vineyard in three days. 

“With the new Vine Pro we are saving chemicals, water, petrol and time. We can easily adjust the row widths to get as close to the vines as necessary.” 

After sales support from Croplands smoothed Riversdale Estate’s purchase of their Quantum Vine Pro sprayer smooth. Croplands Territory Manager Dave Farmer helped them set up and calibrate the new machine. 

“Dave hooked up the controller and connected the satellites and weather data, which gives us a huge amount of information. He tested it on different blocks in the vineyard and made some small adjustments,” Rainier says. 

While the Roberts are delighted with the performance and savings they get from their new Vine Pro, they have not given up their single row model either. They have held onto it to use on vineyard rows with V trellises and those on steep hills because of its very tight turning circle.