Spray Characterization of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Agricultural Spraying

Abstract

Sustainability and higher efficiency in crop production are possible with the use of new technologies. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) brings many advantages, both in terms of monitoring agricultural areas and pesticide applications, and allows for early disease and damage detection as well as its application in areas without access to conventional sprayers. This study established parameters for spraying with clean water using a DJI Agras 14 MG-1P (RTK) UAV. Droplet distribution and droplet analyses were examined in the experiments carried out at different heights (1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 m) and flow rates (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 L/ha). Droplets were analyzed using DepositScan. Coefficients of Variation of droplet distribution decreased with the increasing spray rate. The trials with the closest values to uniformity were spraying applications made at a flight height of 2.0 m. When evaluating pesticide efficacy according to the number of droplets per unit area, insecticides and all herbicides can be effective at applications at flight heights of 1.5 and 2.0 m and spray rates of 20 L/ha. While all spraying is done at flight heights of 1.5 and 2.0 m and spray rates of 25 L/ha, fungicides are ineffective when applied from a height of 2.5 m. As a result, this study found measurements made at a 2.0 m altitude and a 20 L/ha spray rate to have the highest coverage rate and the lowest drift potential.