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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Water Management and Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341958
Research Project: Improving the Sustainability of Irrigated Farming Systems in Semi-Arid Regions

Location: Water Management and Systems Research

Title: Drift and deposition of pesticide applied by UAV on pineapple plants under different meteorological conditions

Author
item WANG, JUAN - South China Agricultural University
item LAN, YUBIN - South China Agricultural University
item Zhang, Huihui
item WEN, SHENG - South China Agricultural University
item YAO, WEIXIANG - South China Agricultural University
item YUE, CHANGQUAN - South China Agricultural University

Submitted to: International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/30/2018
Publication Date: 11/6/2018
Citation: Wang, J., Lan, Y., Zhang, H., Wen, S., Yao, W., Yue, C. 2018. Drift and deposition of pesticide applied by UAV on pineapple plants under different meteorological conditions. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. 11(6):5–12. https://doi.org/10.25165/j.ijabe.20181106.4038.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25165/j.ijabe.20181106.4038

Interpretive Summary: Aerial spray drift has always been a focus research area in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) application. When UAV operating parameters, such as height, speed, and spraying liquid, are fixed, the droplet drift is mainly affected by meteorological conditions. In order to evaluate the meteorological effects, the spray drift and deposition were tested by a QuanFeng120 UAV in a pineapple field. The tests found that the operating height and wind speed had significantly effects on the spray drift and deposition. These results provide a theoretical basis for UAV spraying in pineapple plants and a support for spray drift control and prediction.

Technical Abstract: Spray drift has always been a focus research area in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) application. When UAV operating parameters, such as height, speed, and spraying liquid, are under the fixed premises, the droplet drift is mainly affected by meteorological conditions. In this study, we conducted spray drift and deposition tests applied by a QuanFeng120 UAV in a pineapple field under various meteorological conditions. The experiment results showed that with the changes of UAV operating height and wind speed, the start position of the in-swath deposition area had changed 4 m in the extreme situation. The percentage of the total spray drift increased from 15.42% to 55.76%. The position of cumulative spray drift that accounted for 90% of the total spray drift increased from 3.70 to 46.50 m relative to the flight line. According to the downwind spray drift curve, the nonlinear equations of the same type under the four operating conditions were fitted. The spray drift and deposition of UAV application were significantly affected by different meteorological conditions and UAV operating heights. The result can provide theory and data basis for UAV spraying in pineapple plants and support for spray drift control and prediction.