MATTEO MOLON: "I can afford to use 1/3 less product and 60% less water because I trust Martignani."

We often speak with customers who are satisfied with the results they’ve achieved using Martignani sprayers or with their purchase, and this has always been a source of great satisfaction for us.

Sometimes, however, we speak with customers who are truly enthusiastic and absolutely delighted with their purchase. When that happens, it brings us great joy—especially because of the tremendous teamwork behind every Martignani sprayer and the years of research, analysis, and experimentation we’ve dedicated to improving our technology.

“I don’t have any problems at all because Martignani doesn’t drift or leave any residue.”

We had the pleasure of speaking with Matteo Molon, owner of Società Agricola Molon Luigino, based in San Donà di Piave, in the province of Venice. He told us he’d wanted to buy a Martignani for so long that when he finally got one in March, he threw a party—complete with cake (as shown in the photo).

The Molon Luigino Agricultural Company has 25 hectares of vineyards and this year purchased a 2,000-liter Turbo 3 electrostatic sprayer. This is the first multi-row sprayer designed and introduced to the global market (EIMA 1988 Gold Medal for Technical Innovation and subsequent Fieragricola Verona 2004 Quality Award); ideal for treating 3 rows/6 sides simultaneously with an average daily productivity ranging from 30 to 50 hectares. Some of the advantages of the Martignani Turbo 3 are:

– Electrostatic charge for greater dye coverage efficiency

– Zero maintenance

Mr. Molon applies between 13 and 15 treatments per year, using 100 liters per hectare at the start of the season and then 200 liters per hectare for fungicides. He applies insecticides at a rate of 330 liters per hectare, even though he says , “Everyone advises me against it; they say it’s too low and that I should increase it, but I’m convinced—I’ve done my own tests—the dye coverage with Martignani is spectacular, and it gives the effect I like.”

This area of the Veneto region, Molon explains, has a great many buffer zones—perhaps due to canals, nearby houses, roads, etc.—but“I don’t have any problems at all because Martignani doesn’t drift or leave any residue.”

Martignani Sprayer vs. Conventional Sprayer

Matteo Molon used to have a conventional sprayer with a turret and anti-drift nozzles for orchards, which he had installed himself. The problem was that“the droplets couldn’t reach the plant properly. They were too heavy. I don’t have that problem anymore. With Martignani, I realized that it’s the force of the air that’s being harnessed. The airspeed breaks up the droplets, transforms them into microdroplets, and propels them toward the plant; then, thanks to the electrostatic charge, the droplets are drawn even to the most hidden parts of the plant, and the dye coverage is perfect.” He adds that ““Until you try a car for yourself, you won’t know these things. You can watch videos or read brochures, but when you actually use it, you really understand what kind of technology we’re talking about.”

SAVINGS

With the Martignani Turbo 3 electrostatic sprayer, you save 60% on water compared to treatments with a conventional sprayer. Before, I used 500 liters per hectare; now I use 200 liters per hectare.“I could save even more—some people use as little as 100 liters per hectare—but I’d rather not take any chances because it gets very humid at night in our area.”

As for the fungicide, the customer saves one-third of the product thanks to the low volume and the electrostatic charge. With the insecticide , however, he uses the normal dose.

Furthermore, the customer emphasizes the savings in fuel and, above all, time. “ Now I can do the treatment in one morning, whereas before it took me a whole day without even stopping for lunch .”

Some of our customers around the world claim that, on average, they save about €200 per hectare per year with treatments performed using Martignani sprayers. According to Molon, who insistshe “hasn’t done the math,” it’s a figure“that adds up,” and he adds that“with other conventional sprayers, you might save money on the first two or three treatments, but it’s with Martignani that you get the results.”

Molon highlights the machine’s “agility.”“All my vineyards are at the far end, so when I turn, I have to retract one boom first and then the other to maneuver. The machine is very agile.”

The Turbo 3 electrostatic sprayer has a single axle, and according to Molon, this is very important because“80% of our soil is clay. When it rains, you can’t work with machines that have two axles—they’re too heavy—and it happened to me many times with the sprayer I had before that I’d get stuck or lose control of the machine. Since it doesn’t have fenders and has a single axle, with the Martignani I can work even when the ground is very wet without any problems. “I used to do figure skating,”he jokes.

The fight against vine diseases with Martignani

In the Piave region , there is a widespread occurrence of flavescence dorée this year , A disease caused by a phytoplasma that severely affects grapevines and spreads very easily. The name comes from the golden-yellow color that the leaves, shoots, and grape clusters of white-berry varieties take on once infected. The causative agent of the disease is a phytoplasma transmitted by an insect that settles in the host’s phloem tissues and blocks the flow of sap, causing an imbalance in the plant’s physiological activity. The only way to combat this disease is through prevention or by killing the insect vector before it establishes itself. Molon explains that “This year, this area has been overrun; some winegrowers are actually uprooting their vineyards because they’ve been hit by the disease. I’m very happy with Martignani because it provides perfect dye coverage even where the insect can hide—namely, under the vine—otherwise it might be too late. With this type of vine disease, sometimes by the time you notice it, it’s already too late.”

Compared to other major grapevine diseases like grapevine powdery mildew or grapevine downy mildew,“I have absolutely no problems thanks to the Martignani system. I can get away with using one-third less product because I have a Martignani and I trust it; others with recovery sprayers can’t do that.”

Matteo Molon seems very satisfied with his purchase:“It’s a machine I’ve always dreamed of, and now I’m absolutely thrilled.”