Abstract
Spray drifts have been studied by mathematical models and computer simulations as an essential complement to lab and field tests, among which are fluid dynamic approaches that help to understand the transport of spray droplets in a turbulent atmosphere and their potential impacts to the environment. From earlier fluid mechanical models to highly computational models, scientific advancement has led to a more realistic prediction of spray drift, but the current literature lacks reviews showing the trends and limitations of the existing approaches. This paper is to review the literature on fluid-mechanical-based modelling of spray drift resulting from ground spray applications. Consequently, it provides comprehensive understanding of the transition and development of fluid dynamic approaches and the future directions in this research field.
Highlights
The ultimate objective of any spraying system is to provide optimal deposition of spray materials on the targeted canopies to effectively control pests and diseases [1,2]
The objective of this paper is to review the past and recent research works that studied the spray droplet transport and its drift from ground applications using fluid mechanical approaches
From 1960s, physical and semiempirical models described turbulent air jets, airflows entrained by nozzles, canopy flows, and droplet atomization [55,71,80,81], which were not made for spray drift study
Summary
The ultimate objective of any spraying system is to provide optimal deposition of spray materials on the targeted canopies to effectively control pests and diseases [1,2]. Numerous reports have shown that a significant fraction of released chemicals drift to non-target areas during applications [3]. The amount of such losses has been estimated up to 50–60%, causing significant economic loss [3,4]. Pesticide spray drift is the airborne movement of spray droplets and particles to any site other than the area intended [5]. Many practical guidelines [6] indicate that pesticide applications directed upwards or released at a higher altitude are likely to cause more drifts. Drift from the aerial applications is significantly influenced by the effect of wingtip vortices [8,9]
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