Quality and efficiency of apple orchard protection affected by sprayer type and application rate

Abstract

The goal of this work was to evaluate the potential of reduced application rates in apple trees as well as the potential of selective spray applications by using sensor-based tree detection techniques in Serbian fruit production. Their economical and biological effect was evaluated based on the quality and efficiency of the crop protection and technoeconomic analysis. Results showed that during suitable weather conditions and with properly adjusted sprayer settings, a reduced application rate of 381 L ha -1 gave same quality of crop protection as a medium application rate of 759 L ha -1 . A two-year efficiency trial on Venturia inaequalis and Podosphaera leucitricha infecting apple also showed that there was no significant difference in crop protection results for different types of orchard application techniques and application rates. The techno-economic analysis showed that selective application should be introduced in practice in areas > 3 ha given that the cost of their introduction pays off after 2-3 seasons. Every subsequent season would give a clear economic profit. Besides the economic benefits, selective application technique also has a significant positive ecological effect due to reduction of spray losses and the amount of plant protection products used.

Spray deposition profiles in pome fruit trees: Effects of sprayer design, training system and tree canopy characteristics

“…However, tree architecture affects the fate of pesticide droplets inside the plant microenvironment which directly determines the efficacy of the treatment. To this end, new precision spraying application techniques are being developed that incorporate sensing modules to perform tree-specific spraying (Chen et al, 2013;Doruchowski et al, 2011;Escolà et al, 2013;Llorens et al, 2010;Sedlar et al, 2013). Currently, these techniques use one or more tree structure characteristics to adjust air assistance and spray flow rate, including canopy height (Moltó et al, 2001), foliage density (Balsari et al, 2009;Doruchowski et al, 2011), ratio of actual canopy width to maximum canopy width (Escolà et al, 2013;Solanelles et al, 2006).…”

Evaluation of Economic Efficiency of Apple Orchard Investments

“…Apple growing requires high capital investment [5] and the choice of production system (organic or conventional) has a direct impact on apple orchard productivity [6]. Organic farming is increasing in popularity around the world and plays an important role in agriculture [7]; it is seen as an alternative to conventional farming, as well as a solution for sustainable development [8].…”

Impact of technical spraying factors on vertical liquid distribution with Agromehanika AGP 440 axial fan sprayer

“…Also, it is particularly important to further investigate the technical spraying factors of the plant protection, with the possibility of reducing production costs based on the effective calibration of fan sprayer [24].…”