Effect of aerial spray adjuvant applying on the efficiency of small unmanned aerial vehicle for wheat aphids control

BACKGROUND There is an urgent need to enhance pesticide effectiveness while reducing adverse environmental impacts, based on the pesticide reduction program that requires net zero growth in chemical pesticide applications by 2020. Agricultural production can benefit from appropriate pesticide application using the optimal method. In this study, the effects of different application methods on the effectiveness, spray deposition, and residue behaviour of 48% phenamacril · tebuconazole suspension concentrate (SC) in wheat production were compared to determine the most efficient and effective method. RESULTS 48% phenamacril · tebuconazole SC was most effective in controlling Fusarium head blight (FHB) and mycotoxin contamination. Statistically significant differences in the control effect, spray deposition, initial residues, and half‐life (t1/2) were subsequently observed with different application methods, suggesting that the application method plays a key role in pesticide availability and control efficiency. The differences in control efficiency and pesticide residues between application methods were thought to be related to droplet size, droplet distribution, and penetrability. Unmanned aerial vehicle and mister sprayers were found to effectively increase the control efficacy of 48% phenamacril · tebuconazole SC in terms of FHB control and mycotoxin concentrations, as well as enhancing pesticide availability. CONCLUSION These findings are of theoretical and practical value for the scientific application of pesticides in wheat, helping to enhance pesticide utilization while reducing harmful residues. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Section: Analysis Of Spraying Deposition and Losses To Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Application method affects pesticide efficiency and effectiveness in wheat fields

Xiao

Chen

Fan

et al. 2019

“…In recent years, UAVs have been developed to conduct aerial applications of crop protection chemicals . UAV sprayers are capable of treating agricultural areas over complex geographic terrain not easily accessible to personnel or ground‐based machinery .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of remote‐weed mapping and an autonomous spraying unmanned aerial vehicle for site‐specific weed management

Hunter

Gannon

Richardson

et al. 2019

BACKGROUND Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used in agriculture to collect imagery for crop and pest monitoring, and for decision‐making purposes. Spraying‐capable UAVs are now commercially available worldwide for agricultural applications. Combining UAV weed mapping and UAV sprayers into an UAV integrated system (UAV‐IS) can offer a new alternative to implement site‐specific pest management. RESULTS The UAV‐IS was 0.3‐ to 3‐fold more efficient at identifying and treating target weedy areas, while minimizing treatment on non‐weedy areas, than ground‐based broadcast applications. The UAV‐IS treated 20–60% less area than ground‐based broadcast applications, but also missed up to 26% of the target weedy area, while broadcast applications covered almost the entire experimental area and only missed 2–3% of the target weeds. The efficiency of UAV‐IS management practices increased as weed spatial aggregation increased (patchiness). CONCLUSION Integrating UAV imagery for pest mapping and UAV sprayers can provide a new strategy for integrated pest management programs to improve efficiency and efficacy while reducing the amount of pesticide being applied. The UAV‐IS has the potential to improve the detection and control of weed escapes to reduce/delay herbicide resistance evolution. © 2019 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Reduction of pesticide dosage and off‐target drift with enhanced control efficacy in unmanned aerial vehicle‐based application using lecithin adjuvants

Baek,

Eun,

Kim

et al. 2024

BACKGROUNDUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in precision agriculture, particularly for pesticide application in rice cultivation. One challenge is off‐target pesticide drift, which raises environmental concerns and reduces pesticide efficiency. Lecithin adjuvants have been suggested to enhance droplet stability, reduce drift, and improve control efficacy. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of lecithin adjuvants in reducing pesticide drift and improving deposition during UAV‐based pesticide application under various paddy field conditions.RESULTSThe addition of 1% lecithin adjuvants in 75% dosage of tricyclazole and ferimzone dual active ingredient formulations reduced off‐target drift by 2.62 to 3.16 times compared to the 100% and 75% dosage of standard formulations, with deposition efficiency along the spray path increasing by up to 155%. Wind direction and speed were found to be the primary environmental factor affecting deposition efficiency and drift rate. The control efficacy against leaf blast disease was significantly improved, with a maximum efficacy of 73.7% observed in the adjuvant‐treated group. Initial pesticide residues on rice plants were the highest in treatments with adjuvants, but their harvest products, brown rice and dried straw, were still within safe limits for human consumption.CONCLUSIONLecithin adjuvants significantly reduce off‐target drift and enhance pesticide deposition during UAV‐based application. This method allowed for lower pesticide dosages without compromising control efficacy, contributing to more sustainable agricultural practices. These findings highlight the potential of adjuvants to improve UAV pesticide application and reduce the environmental impact of pesticide use. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.