Effect of Aviation Spray Adjuvant on Improving Control of Fusarium Head Blight and Reducing Mycotoxin Contamination in Wheat

Abstract

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and its mycotoxin contamination are among the main factors affecting wheat yield and quality. There is an urgent need to develop an efficient strategy to prevent and control the FHB disease and reduce the mycotoxin level in the wheat product. As a triazolinthione fungicide, prothioconazole is an effective broad-spectrum fungicide to control various diseases of wheat by foliar spraying. However, prothioconazole has potential harm to the female reproductive system, and its metabolism prothioconazole-desthio has teratogenicity. Considering this point, the plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are undoubtedly a suitable choice for the field application of prothioconazole. In this work, by spraying 30% prothioconazole dispersible oil suspensions, we report that aviation spray adjuvant of methylated vegetable oil influences the control effect of wheat head blight, wheat yield, prothioconazole residues, and mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) content. Adding 1.0% aviation spray adjuvant to the spray solution can significantly increase the droplet density and deposition amount in different layers of wheat canopy. The wheat yield increased by 6.94% compared with the treatment areas without spray adjuvant. Meanwhile, the prothioconazole and DON mycotoxin were not detected in the wheat grains. Based on these results, we conclude that the addition of aviation spray adjuvant can also not only ensure the high control effect of prothioconazole on FHB in wheat and increase wheat yield, but also greatly reduce the content of DON mycotoxin and ensure the safety of wheat production. This study is expected to provide theoretical guidance and data support for applying spray adjuvants in the field of plant protection UAVs in modern intensive sustainable agriculture.

Interactions among the composition changes in fungal communities and the main mycotoxins in simulated stored wheat grains

“…According to the taxonomic assignment, the dominant fungal genera were Alternaria , Fusarium , Mrakia , Aspergillus , Aureobasidium , Papiliotrema , Holtermanniella , Penicillium , Microdochium , Filobasidium , Sporobolomyces , Bulleromyces , and Trichothecium , the relative abundance exceeds 1% of the total fungi. In the species analysis results, the Fusaria are mainly Fusarium asiaticum , which is the main fungus that causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) in China 25 . Substantial variations were detected in different storage conditions and times.…”

“…In the species analysis results, the Fusaria are mainly Fusarium asiaticum, which is the main fungus that causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) in China. 25 Substantial variations were detected in different storage conditions and times. The most significantly changed fungi were Alternaria, Fusarium, Mrakia, and Aspergillus.…”

Spray performance and control efficacy against pests in paddy rice by UAV‐based pesticide application: effects of atomization, UAV configuration and flight velocity

“…The primary targets of these UAV sprayers are pervasive pests and diseases such as corn borer, rice fly, rice leaf roller, rice blight, aphids, and wheat powdery mildew. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Research on unmanned aerial plant protection primarily focuses on major staple crops, including rice, wheat, corn, and cotton. Among these, rice has been the subject of more extensive research.…”

“…This advancement is evident in a variety of agricultural settings including rice, wheat, corn, cotton, and fruit orchards. The primary targets of these UAV sprayers are pervasive pests and diseases such as corn borer, rice fly, rice leaf roller, rice blight, aphids, and wheat powdery mildew 18–25 . Research on unmanned aerial plant protection primarily focuses on major staple crops, including rice, wheat, corn, and cotton.…”

Effect of aerial application of adjuvants on pepper defoliant droplet deposition and efficacy of defoliation sprayed by unmanned aerial vehicles

“…UAVs also have low levels of water consumption, low dilution ratios, high working heights, fast flight speeds, and high atomization abilities. UAVs have been widely used in crops such as wheat (Yan et al, 2021b ), rice (Chen et al, 2020a ), corn (Hussain et al, 2022 ), grapes (Matese and Di Gennaro, 2018 ), citrus (Tang et al, 2018 ), and cotton (Lou et al, 2018 ). The addition of aerial spray with adjuvants efficiently solves the drift and loss of pesticide droplets during the spraying by UAVs and improves the utilization rate of pesticides.…”