Spray Deposition on Maize Using an Electrostatic Sprayer

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that the application of pesticides can be improved using an electrostatic spray due to the reduction of the application rate and increase in deposition on plant targets. However, little information exists on the use of such technology in maize crops. Thus, this study is aimed to evaluate the spray deposition on maize resulting from spray application using an electrostatic sprayer in combination with low application rates and different spray compositions. A field experiment was conducted in a randomized block having a 2×2×2 factorial design with two application rates (95 and 52 L ha-1), with or without the spray electrification, and with or without the synthetic adjuvant. The droplet electrification ability, interference of the electrical conductivity of the spray solution, losses of spray solution to the soil, and spray deposition on maize plants were evaluated for two cases of insecticide applications. The Faraday cage method was used to determine the spray electrification ability of the equipment. The spray deposition on plants and the losses to the soil were analyzed using a tracer (food coloring dye) added to the spray solution that was subsequently detected by spectrophotometry. It was seen that the electrostatic sprayer improved the spray application efficiency, which responded positively to the increase in the electrical conductivity of the spray solution. The deposition of the electrified spray solution on the upper third canopy of maize was found to be higher; the spray solution electrification also reduced the losses to the soil, regardless of the application rate.

Evaluation of Electrostatic Spraying Equipment in a Greenhouse Pepper Crop

“…This result indicates that electrostatic spraying could achieve depositions similar to conventional spraying, but with 48% less volume, thus reducing the use of plant protection products and the risk of environmental contamination. These results are in line with studies carried out with electrostatic spraying in other crops, where deposition increases of the order of 0.5 to 2.5 times were quantified, compared to conventional spraying systems [23][24][25][26]33].…”

Evaluation of electrostatic sprayers and foggers for the application of disinfectants in the era of SARS-CoV-2

“…We were unable to find any charge/mass data in the literature for ESS used for the application of disinfectants, and none of the devices evaluated in this study reported this information either. However, in one study evaluating parameters affecting ESS charge for agricultural pesticide applications, the authors reported an average charge/mass of 1.03 mC/kg [ 22 ], and in a similar study [ 3 ] evaluating spray deposition in an agricultural setting, charge/mass ranged from 4.8–8.5 mC/kg. Sasaki et al reported a charge/mass ratio of 1.38 mC/kg at a 1 meter spray distance, and that charge/mass decreased with increasing spray distance [ 17 ].…”

“…ESS have been used for many years in several other industries, e.g., for the efficient application of pesticides to crops (to reduce spray drift) [ 3 – 5 ] and vegetation [ 6 ]. Recently ESS have emerged as an application technique for disinfectants for surfaces potentially contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus [ 7 ].…”