Application volume, adjuvants that act on the drop surface tension and droplet spectrum are the main factors affecting leaf surface coverage and the spray penetration droplets inside the canopy of the soybean crop, which may have an impact on fungicide efficiency, since those used in the handling of Asian-rust, including those that are absorbed by the plant, present a small displacement from the point of deposition. Thus, it was sought to determine the impacts on the use of the organosilicone surfactant compared to the changes in the spray volumes. For that, five spray volumes and the combination of two adjuvants were compared in randomized blocks with a factorial arrangement 5x2. Reductions in volume negatively impacted the number of drops cm-2 affecting the leaf surface cover which did not exceed 13% in the lower third, in the absence of the surfactant. Also, the reduction in the volume provided decreases in the control of Asian-rust, and the use of surfactant minimized the negative impacts of the disease, reflecting on the index of the leaf area which varied up to 6.5 times on changes in the spray volume, and up to 2.8 times against the use of the surfactant in relation to the mineral oil isolated. Grain yield was negatively affected as reductions in the spray volumes, occurred with less impact when the surfactant was used. Thus, coverage of the leaf surface and the number of drops cm-2 along the plant profile respond to the addition of the surfactant and to the increase of the spray volume, having relation with the control of soybean Asian-rust, and affecting the leaf area index and productivity.

No abstract

Maintaining homogeneity in the distribution of fungicidal sprays applied throughout the plant, minimizing the variation between the upper and lower third of the plant, is one of the main challenges for application technologies with regard to soybean crops. To increase the deposition and leaf coverage of sprayed compounds, especially in the middle and lower thirds of the plant, we developed and tested alternative assisted boom sprayer systems. In this study, three assisted boom sprayer systems (Vortex ® , Dropleg ® , and chain curtain) were evaluated, in addition to the conventional system, in terms of the deposition and coverage of the leaf surface they achieved in the upper, middle, and lower thirds of plants using the fluorescent tracer Helios SC 500™. The assisted boom sprayer systems allowed the sprayed mixture to be better distributed throughout the plant. With the conventional spray system (without assitance), the deposition in the upper third was approximately 26 times higher than that in the lower third, whereas with the use of the assisted boom sprayer systems, the difference in deposition between these thirds was 11 times higher. Among the evaluated systems, the Dropleg ® system presented the lowest depositional variation, which was only 5.5 times higher in the upper than in the lower third, because of the increased deposition achieved in the lower third of the plant. Leaf coverage varied from 41% to 81% in the upper third, from 24% to 43% in the middle third, and from 4% to 13% in the lower third of the plant. Using the conventional spray system, the leaf surface coverage was approximately 13 times higher in the upper third than in the lower third of the plant, whereas with the use of the assisted boom sprayer systems, especially the Dropleg ® system, this variation was reduced by 73%, and the coverage of the upper and lower thirds only differed by 3.5 times. Indeed, the Dropleg ® system reached a leaf coverage of close to 13% in the lower third of the plant. The use of assisted boom sprayer systems improved the distribution of the mixture applied throughout the plant, reducing the differences among the thirds of the plant both in the levels of deposition and coverage of the leaf surfaces. The Dropleg ® system increased the deposition and leaf coverage in the lower third of the plant the most, facilitating better distribution of the mixture.

Product deposition and foliar surface cover are highly impacting factors on the efficiency of foliar fungicides applied to soybean cultivars, due to their low mobility, with side effects on Asian soybean rust (ASR) control. Spray bar support systems, such as the air curtain (Vortex ® ) and the use of nozzles along the bar (Dropleg ® ), stand out as an alternative to obtain a better distribution of fungicide throughout the plant. In this study, two spray bar support systems (Vortex ® and Dropleg ® ) were, therefore, evaluated and compared with the conventional spraying method based on the biological efficacy in ASR control. In order to do this, two harvests, with three spacing between rows and two cultivars were employed. Vortex ® and Dropleg ® spray bar support mechanisms do not effectively contribute to the optimization of Asian soybean rust control or to the grain crop yield, regardless of cultivar and row spacing. Decreasing the row spacing did not influence the level of control of Asian soybean rust, as the highest grain yield was obtained with the smallest spacing. The cultivar with genetic resistance to Asian rust showed lower levels of this disease, thus, greater control against the use of fungicides.

The purpose of this study was to check the influence of leaf area index, spray volumes and applicable quantities of fungicide during the protection period, and for control of Asian soybean rust. All tests were conducted in the field and in the laboratory between 2014 and 2016. The quantity of fungicide and the spray volume were varied in the application of fungicides on soybean plants with different leaf area index. Rainfall simulation tests were also carried out at different times after application of fungicide. The spray volume and application rate of fungicide should be adequately proportioned according to the leaf area index of the soybean cultivar. The closer to the time of application that the rain occurs, the lower the control obtained by applying the fungicide. The leaf area index, the fungicide application rates, and the spray volumes influenced the protection period of fungicides and the control of Asian soybean rust.