Abstract
A compact variable rate sprayer for use in teaching precision agriculture was developed and field tested. A 3.57-m (11.7-ft) boom-type field sprayer with a 227-L (60-gal) tank was used as the base unit. Off-the-shelf Global Positioning System and variable rate application components were modified as necessary and installed on the base unit. The cost of the completed variable rate sprayer was approximately $9700. For field testing, a 12.8-m (42-ft) wide 91.4-m (300-ft) long test course was laid out and spraying prescriptions were written for field speeds of 2.74 and 5.47 km/h (1.7 and 3.4 mph). With a 2-s delay programmed into the unit, the mean position error was 0.37 m (1.23 ft) at 2.74 km/h (1.7 mph) and 0.77 m (2.51 ft) at 5.47 km/h (3.4 mph). Once the sprayer traveled into a prescribed spray zone, a mean distance of from 0.87 m (2.85 ft) (for low speed, low application rate) to 3.53 m (11.58 ft) (for high speed, high application rate) was traveled before the sprayer output initially reached the prescribed rate. The sprayer output stabilized at the prescribed rate at a mean distance of 9.59 m (31.45 ft) (high speed, high application rate) to 13.61 m (44.64 ft) (low speed, low application rate). The variable rate sprayer will be used in undergraduate and graduate classes and in workshops for agriculture teachers, Extension agents, and producers.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.