Crop protection equipment. Spray deposition test for field crop

2015 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 647-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Zwertvaegher ◽  
Dieter Foqué ◽  
Donald Dekeyser ◽  
Stephanie Van Weyenberg ◽  
David Nuyttens

Abstract. With the implementation of integrated pest management in the European Union, growers are obliged to manage pests in a manner that minimizes health and environmental risks due to the use of plant protection products. Among other approaches, this goal can be achieved by optimizing spray application techniques. As an alternative to the predominantly used handheld equipment, such as spray guns, spray boom systems might substantially improve spray application, and thus crop protection management, in greenhouses. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to compare different spray configurations in a spray cabin designed to spray ornamental potted plants that are moving on a conveyor belt. Seven different spray configurations were examined for optimal spray deposition in two crops (azalea and ivy) using mineral chelate tracers. The deposition tests showed that the presented prototype can satisfactorily spray potted plants up to a height of 25 cm including the pot height. The best spray deposition was found with two flat-fan nozzles oriented 35° upward, spraying at 1.0 bar and an application rate of 1047 L ha-1. This configuration increased deposition on the underside of the leaves and at the middle foliage layer compared to the other configurations that were evaluated. The spray cabin with a band spray setting has potential to mitigate the use of plant protection products and achieve a more efficient spray application compared to traditional handheld techniques and broadcast spray boom techniques. Keywords: Crop protection, Integrated pest management, Nozzle type, Spray deposition.


2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1827-1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Shen ◽  
Heping Zhu ◽  
Hui Liu ◽  
Yu Chen ◽  
Erdal Ozkan

Abstract. An embedded computer-controlled, laser-guided, air-assisted, variable-rate precision sprayer was developed to automatically adjust spray outputs on both sides of the sprayer to match the presence, size, shape, and foliage density of tree crops in real time. The sprayer was the integration of an embedded computer, a touch screen, a 270° radial-range laser sensor, a travel speed sensor, a unique algorithm, a custom-designed automatic flow rate control unit, and 40 pulse-width-modulated (PWM) nozzles. The accuracy of the sprayer to detect different-sized trees and control the spray outputs of individual nozzles based on tree structures was tested in a commercial nursery. Spray deposition qualities between variable-rate and constant-rate operational modes of the sprayer were also compared. Test results demonstrated the capability of the sprayer to measure different trees accurately and then control the spray outputs of nozzles independently to match tree structure. The outline profile similarity of paired images taken with a digital camera and with the laser sensor for three trees ranged from 0.81 to 0.89. To spray trees of different sizes and shapes, the sprayer in variable-rate mode (VRM) consumed 12.1% to 43.3% of the spray volume that was used in constant-rate mode (CRM) with an application rate of 468 L ha-1. Moreover, the sprayer had 30% and 55% greater coverage areas per amount of spray deposits in VRM than in CRM. This innovative sprayer should have significant potential to reduce pesticide waste, provide sustainable crop protection to growers, and safeguard the environment. Keywords: Automation, Nursery, Orchard, Precision agriculture, Variable-rate sprayer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 02001
Author(s):  
Davide Mosetti ◽  
Paolo Sivilotti ◽  
Giovanni Bigot

The phytopathological condition of the vineyard and the reduction in the use of crop protection products are closely linked to the efficiency of the use of sprayers. The objective of the work was to identify the best operative conditions to improve the canopy coverage of the spraying. From 2012 to 2017 173 field trials were carried out in 40 farms, on 24 varieties, testing 72 different sprayers in North Eastern Italy. Water-sensitive papers of 2.5 × 2.5 cm were positioned in eight points in the vine canopy according to a standardized method, and they were examined after spraying for spray deposition. In general, results showed that coverage of the lower leaf surface was very poor. On the contrary, the upper section of leaves in the outer canopy layers have received excessive spraying, over 70% coverage in 25% of cases. The coverage uniformity was improved by using driving speeds lower than 6 km / h and using upward air flow direction.


2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 897-908
Author(s):  
Liping Xiao ◽  
Heping Zhu ◽  
Matthew Wallhead ◽  
Leona Horst ◽  
Peter Ling ◽  
...  

Abstract. Increased use of biopesticides has spurred demand for efficient and effective delivery systems. To this goal, laboratory tests were conducted to investigate six different classes of biopesticides discharged from five different types of flat-fan nozzles, each with three flow capacities. The biopesticide classes were horticultural oil insecticide (HOI), bacterial biofungicide (BBF), botanical extract bio-insecticide (BEBI), liquid fungal bio-insecticide (FBI-ES), wettable powder fungal bio-insecticide (FBI-WP), and mineral salt biofungicide (MSBF). Droplet size distribution, spray pattern width, spray deposition, and coverage on plant leaves and water-sensitive paper (WSP) were the spray parameters tested. These parameters varied greatly with biopesticide class, nozzle type, and nozzle flow capacity. The DV0.5 of the biopesticides ranged from 75 to 519 µm for 0.76 L min-1 nozzles, from 86 to 509 µm for 1.51 L min-1 nozzles, and from 99 to 622 µm for 2.25 L min-1 nozzles. The use of different biopesticides with the same nozzle significantly altered the spray pattern width. Compared to a water-only solution, the largest change of spray pattern width was 14.7% for the air-induction nozzle (AI11004) discharging FBI-ES. The amount of spray deposited on plant leaves for all tested biopesticides (except HOI) did not vary significantly with different nozzle types. However, the air-induction nozzles produced the most uneven spray deposition patterns. Therefore, to achieve optimal spray application efficiency and effectiveness for discharging specific classes of biopesticide, the choice of the proper nozzle type and flow capacity is critical. Keywords: Biopesticide, Crop protection, Deposition, Droplet size, Spray coverage.


2010 ◽  
pp. 5-11
Author(s):  
András Bozsik

László Huzián was a determining personality of the higher education of Hungarian crop protection more precisely that of the agricultural entomology. Training of the scientific and extension specialists of Hungarian agricultural entomology from 1960 till 1983 would have been unimaginable without him. He was the builder of the agricultural entomology school established by Gusztáv Adolf Manninger, the developer of the training’s essential and organisational standard, who sacrificed his life’s work for developing the crop protection. He found, characterized many pests (E.g. Scrobipalpa ocellatella, Lixus scabricollis, Tanymecus palliatus, Mesagroicus obscurus) new for the Hungarian fauna and worked out a control technology against them. It is important to mention his activity in creating the forecasting of the big field crop animal pests mainly that of the sugar beet pests. One top of his educational work was the wonderful manual „Agricultural Entomology” written with Sándor Bognár in 1979. László Szalay-Marzsó said of this book that it was impossible to write a better one. He has been right. The magnificent crop protection library and the unique richness and accuracy of the animal demonstration material (slides, pictures, preparates, showcases, etc.) established at the Gödöllő University of Agriculture can be thanked to his extraordinary systematizing mentality and tireless efforts.


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