Wettability on plant leaf surfaces and its effect on pesticide efficiency

Abstract

Abstract: A productive and sustainable agricultural system is essential to the existence of human beings.. Although current agricultural practices can produce enough food for feeding nearly eight billion people, they cannot continue to do so sustainably without technological advancement. The amount of resources used in agriculture is staggering. Over three billion tonnes of crops are produced globally each year, requiring nearly four million tonnes of pesticides, 2.7 trillion cubic meters of water (about 70% of all freshwater consumptive use globally). How to improve the efficiencies of pesticides is a mostly concerned topic in sustainable agriculture. Wettability of plant leaf surfaces for retention, adsorption, and filtration of atmospheric pollutants, interception of precipitation, infection of pests and diseases have important implications. Therefore, understanding the interaction between the droplet and target crop leaf surface have significantly influences on pesticide utilization and pest control efficiency. This article summarizes the influences of leaf surface composition, morphology, and external environmental factors on leaf wettability. The chemical composition and structure of leaf surfaces are internal causes, including foliar wax content and morphology, foliar villus quantity, morphology and distribution, stomata and epidermal cell morphology and size, and leaf moisture status. External factors include pesticide composition and pesticide spraying methods that can also influence wettability. As a comprehensive result of the three-phase action of solid, gas, and liquid, wettability is the micro-foundation of understanding the plant interface relationship. Keywords: wettability, pesticide efficiency, pesticide application, crop leaf morphology, leaf surface DOI:  10.33440/j.ijpaa.20200301.62  Citation: Wei J J, Tang Y T, Wang M M, Hua G P, Zhang Y Q, Peng R. Wettability on plant leaf surfaces and its effect on pesticide efficiency.  Int J Precis Agric Aviat, 2020; 3(1): 30–37.