The Performance of an Air-assisted Sprayer operating in Vines

Study Ofanew Model of Sprayer for Applications in “Tendone” Vineyards

“…Though, the choice of the correct amount of airflow rate is still investigated [1], as it depends on several variables: cultivation, phenological stage, training system, tree size, shape and foliage density, distance between rows, forward speed, and type of fan. Several Authors (Pezzi and Rondelli [12], Cross et al [5], Salyani and Farooq [16]) reported that increasing the airflow rate improved the uniformity of the spray coverage, but led to higher losses to the ground and higher spray drift. Pergher [10,11] showed that, working in a hedgerow vineyard with a sprayer fitted with axial fan, a decrease in the airflow rate from 10.6 m 3 /s to 6.3 m 3 /s, or from 8.6 m 3 /s to 7.0 m 3 /s, or from 7.1 m 3 /s to 4.7 m 3 /s, always resulted in an increase in the average foliar deposition.…”

Influence Ofairflow Rate and Forward Speed on the Spray Deposit in Vineyards

“…Pezzi and Rondelli [5] reported that in a Casarsa vineyard the spray losses doubled by increasing the fan speed from 1400 to 2500 rpm and frequently these losses were not limited to the treatment area but drifted outside. Moreover, the high fan speed improved the degree and the uniformity of the spray coverage.…”

Further Studies on the Variation of Spray Deposits in Vineyards With Airflow Rate and Volume Rate

“…Many Authors [7,4,8] report that an increase in the airflow rate generally improves the spray penetration, but leads to higher losses and higher power requirements. The Author in recent tests [2] carried out in a hedgerow vineyard, found that airflow rates of some 3.9 and 7.5 m 3 /s do not influence significantly the average deposits, but the highest value of airflow rate improves the penetration of the spray jet only at full foliage development.…”