Mist blower performance for liquid fertilizing on eggplant vertical culture cultivation system

Abstract

The objective of the research was to test the performance of two types of knapsack mist blowers for liquid fertilizing on eggplant vertical culture cultivation system. The research was conducted from March to June 2019 at the Sprayer Laboratory, Leuwikopo, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, to determine parameters of droplet diameter, droplet density, effective spraying width, and effective spraying debit. The research was also conducted on the field of Siswadhi Soepardjo Field Laboratory, Leuwikopo, to determine the harvested weight of eggplants. Spraying tools and material were knapsack mist blower type A (Shandong 3WF-3), knapsack mist blower type B (Tasco MD-160), and liquid fertilizer. Results of the research showed that mist blower type A had less wind speed and more nozzle vanes number than mist blower type B so that it influenced their liquid fertilizing performances. Mist blower type A produced smaller or finer droplet diameter, larger droplet density, and smaller effective spraying debit than mist blower type B, whereas mist blower type B produced larger effective spraying width than mist blower type A. Mist blower type A and type B produced droplet diameter, droplet density, effective spraying width, and effective spraying debit were 301.51 micronmeter, 64.63 droplet cm−2, 64 cm, and 2.37 liter min−1, and 331.12 micrometer, 181.28 droplet cm−2, 72 cm, and 3 liter min−1 in average respectively. Mist blower type A has produced maximum harvested eggplants weight of 96.22 g/fruit on average on the optimum walking speed of 0.92 m/s with 2 liter ha−1 liquid fertilizer dosage. Mist blower type B has produced maximum harvested eggplants weight of 61.66 g/fruit on average on the optimum walking speed of 1 m s−1 with 2 liter ha−1 liquid fertilizer dosage.