Assessing the application of spot spray in Nanguo pear orchards: Effect of nozzle type, spray volume rate and adjuvant

Abstract

BACKGROUND Aerial spray is one of the most important applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in agriculture. This work aimed to promote the use of UAVs as an alternative to knapsack electric sprayers in pesticide application in Nanguo pear orchards planted in mountain terraced orchard scenarios. The spray deposition of four types of nozzles (SX110015, XR80015, IDK90015 and TR80015), two spray volume rates (45 and 90 L ha−1) and with or without a commercial surfactant adjuvant were evaluated based on the spot spray mode. RESULTS The air‐ assisted IDK90015 nozzle showed significantly higher deposition and penetration, and its large droplet size also reduced the risk of drift. Increasing the spray volume rate can increase the amount of droplets deposition. The adjuvant showed excellent potential to improve spray technology in Nanguo pear trees, with a mean deposition of 0.175–0.574 μL cm−2 and penetration of 3.09–66.73%. The droplet size also increased significantly, with volume median diameter (DV0.5) of 469 μm. CONCLUSION The nozzle type, spray volume rate and adjuvant should be well considered when using the spot spray in orchard. Compared with increasing spray volume rate, the use of air‐induction nozzles and surfactant‐based adjuvants can improve the spray deposition better. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Impact of Operational Parameters on Droplet Distribution Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in a Papaya Orchard

“…Regardless of the target collection position, the coverage, density, and deposition of drops, as well as the volumetric median diameter (VMD), increased proportionally as the application rates increased. Similar results were found in other crops, such as in wheat [39], cotton [40], sugarcane [41], and Nanguo pear orchards [20].…”

Evaluation of the deposition and distribution of spray droplets in citrus orchards by plant protection drones

“…(2013) found that the use of spraying aids has great potential to improve the uniformity of pesticide spraying, increase spray coverage, and reduce the amount of pesticide applied. Guo Shuang et al ( Guo et al., 2022 ). found that the use of additives significantly increased the particle size of droplets and reduced the proportion of small droplets in the experiment of evaluating additives in the South Fruit Pear Garden, which can effectively reduce the risk of droplet drift and help to improve the pesticide utilization rate.…”

“…When the operation height was 1.2 m and the flight speed was 3.5 m/s, the number of droplets and the spray coverage in the canopy reached the maximum. Guo et al. (2022) evaluated four types of nozzles (SX110015, XR80015, IDK90015, and TR80015) based on a point spray pattern in a southern pear orchard experiment and showed that the IDK90015 nozzle showed significantly higher deposition and penetration.…”

Dynamic Slicing and Reconstruction Algorithm for Precise Canopy Volume Estimation in 3D Citrus Tree Point Clouds

“…It is inextricably associated with orchard precision management projects such as irrigation and fertilization practices, moisture detection techniques, fruit crop breeding, and yield assessment methods [7]. At the same time, accurate canopy volume measurements can serve as a foundation for determining crop pesticide doses and making decisions [8,9], as well as technical Disclaimer/Publisher's Note: The statements, opinions, and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions, or products referred to in the content.…”