A Smart Apply Case Study: Almond and Pistachio Field Evaluations

THE OPPORTUNITY

Chemical application is one of the costliest orchard operations in almond production. During hull splits, growers must manage high navel orangeworm pressure along with other pest and disease concerns, while maintaining whole-canopy coverage with tank mixes that can be costly. Conventional air-blast sprayers apply material uniformly, even across areas of sparse foliage, creating a clear need for a more efficient approach that can reduce unnecessary spray volume without sacrificing crop protection.

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  Almonds growing on a tree

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  Pistachios growing on a tree

American Pistachio Growers and USDA-ARS began evaluating the Smart Apply Intelligent Spray Control System™ with LiDAR technology in pistachio orchards to determine whether pesticide use could be reduced while maintaining performance. The work was then expanded into a mature commercial almond orchard, where researchers evaluated whether Smart Apply could match spray output to canopy presence, reduce total applied volume, and maintain effective coverage and navel orangeworm control under commercial hull-split conditions.

System creates and archives a digital document on chemical savings, tree counts, rows/tracts sprayed and more.

THE SOLUTION

Smart Apply LiDAR technology uses canopy sensing to detect foliage and activate individual nozzles only where vegetation is present, adjusting spray output in real time rather than applying a uniform volume across the entire row. American Pistachio Growers and USDA-ARS first evaluated the technology in bearing pistachio orchards. The work was then expanded into a mature California almond orchard, where Smart Apply with LiDAR active was compared with the same sprayer operating without LiDAR and a conventional Air-O-Fan sprayer across two hull-split applications.

The evaluations measured total spray volume, canopy coverage, and navel orangeworm control. In pistachios, Smart Apply reduced pesticide use by 55–60% in mature orchards and by as much as 85–95% in younger orchards, where lower canopy density created greater opportunities for spray savings. In almonds, Smart Apply reduced total spray volume by 35% while maintaining equivalent coverage and statistically comparable navel orangeworm mortality through 21 days. Across the two almond applications, reduced chemical use also delivered approximately $66 per acre in chemical input savings.

Smart Apply uses LiDAR to identify individual tree geometry before applying chemicals.

To explore the full study, check out the Almond and Pistachio Field Evaluations case study flyer here:

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