Aerial Equipment Research Articles

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FEATURES ON RADAR IMAGERY AND AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS IN DESERT AND MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPES

The relative information yield of radar imagery and aerial photographs is compared for selected natural and cultural features (mountains, erosional depressions, low and high forest, desert plants and shrubs, reeds, and canals) in a number of desert and mountainous areas. The types of aerial photographic and radar equipment used are discussed and recommendations are made regarding when preference should be given to one or the other type of system. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Vestnik Leningradskogo Universiteta, seriya 7 (geologiya, geografiya), 1989, No. 2, pp. 106–110.

DIFFERENCES IN PENETRATION AND EFFICACY OF INSECTICIDE SPRAYS APPLIED BY AERIAL AND GROUND EQUIPMENT TO SOYBEAN1

Insecticide sprays were applied to conventionally spaced (76.2 cm) soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, by aerial and ground equipment. Drop penetration (no. drops/cm2 and mean percent coverage) and drop size (number median diameter) were measured within and between the two treatments. Larval mortality was determined at each of three vertical strata of the canopy for the soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), in central Mississippi and for a pest complex of the soybean looper, green cloverworm, Plathypena scabra (F.), and velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner, in south Mississippi. At both locations aerial equipment deposited a drop size in successively decreasing numbers/unit area from the top down within the upper two-thirds of the canopy. Conversely, ground equipment generally delivered successively smaller and fewer drops to each lower level within the canopy at both locations. Significantly more spray droplets were deposited at each sample location in the soybean canopy by ground equipment than by aerial equipment. Mortality data indicated that permethrin (0.11 kg AI/ha) provided better control of the soybean looper when applied with ground equipment than with aerial equipment in central Mississippi, while methyl parathion (0.28 kg Al/ha) was equally effective when applied by air or ground in south Mississippi for control of the pest complex. Largest mortality was observed within the upper one-third of the soybean canopy for both methods of application at the two locations.

ACOUSTIC EMISSION BEHAVIOR Of FIBERGLASS BOOM SPECIMENS

Abstract Acoustic emission baseline data was generated on fiberglass-epoxy composite specimens taken from booms of hydraulically operated aerial man-lift equipment. Acoustic emission signals were recorded while notched and notch-free specimens were tested in cyclic bending until failure. The transition to a load regime with no Kaiser effect was observed with an average K value of 0.58 measured for notch-free specimens. Frequency analysis of the stress waves caused by deformation of fiberglass specimens was helpful in determining appropriate frequency ranges for acoustic emission monitoring.

Corn Earworm Control in Soybean Using Aerial and Ground Equipment, 1983

Abstract Four insecticidal treatments were evaluated to determine their efficacy on corn earworms on soybean. Pydrin, Orthene, and Larvin were applied with a Cessna Agric. Wagon 188 aircraft delivering a total of 2 gal/acre formulation. Pydrin was applied on 30 Aug. to ‘Essex’ soybean grown on the Wilson Davis farm in Haynesville, Va. Orthene was applied 30 Aug. to several soybean varieties grown on the Eastern Virginia Research Station at Warsaw, and Larvin was sprayed 12 Sep. on the James Crittenden farm on ‘Essex’ soybean. Pounce was applied 31 Aug. in 9 gal of total spray per acre with a John Deere 6000 High-cycle sprayer. This test was conducted on ‘Essex’ soybean grown on the Louis Packett farm in Richmond County, Va. All fields were sampled before insecticide application by taking 25-sweep samples in 10 random sites. Posttreatment observations were made using the same sampling techniques 1 and 7 days after application.

Experimental control of the Mormon cricket,Anabrus simplex, byNosema locustae [Microspora: Microsporida], a protozoan parasite of grasshoppers [Ort.: Acrididae

Spores ofNosema locustae Canning were applied with aerial equipment for experimental control of the Mormon cricket,Anabrus simplex Haldeman. The application resulted in infections in crickets during the season of application and the season following application. Spores were observed in cricket feces which indicated probable vertical transmission between generations. Reduced densities of crickets during the second season suggested effective control byN. locustae.

Efficacy of Diflubenzuron Diluted in Three Volumes of Oils on Boll Weevil Progeny12

Diflubenzuron (70g of AI/ha) was applied to cotton at 2.3, 4.7, and 9.4 liters of nonphytotoxic oil (Sun Oil 7N® or Dimoil®) per ha with ground and aerial equipment. There was a significant reduction in the number of adult weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, reared from puncture squares when compared with the untreated control. There was no statistical difference in emergence of adults from infested squares collected in plots treated with the three volumes of oils.

Entomology-Engineering Cooperation--Where Do We Go From Here?

Historically, there have been a number of locations where entomologists and engineers cooperated effectively toward a common goal. Some areas representing past or present cooperation are the development of insect traps and insecticide applicators; the study of the behavioral effects of sound and the electromagnetic spectrum on insect populations; and the design of mass rearing and aerial release equipment. As advancing technology provides increased opportunity for further interdisciplinary cooperation between entomology and engineering, we need to address the question: “Where Do We Go From Here?”

Ultralow Volume (ULV) Application of Insecticides *

Summary The ULV technique of applying insecticides has proven to be a very useful and economical method for controlling many species of insects. The degree of effectiveness of ULV sprays and aerosols against adult mosquitoes is correlated with the size of the insecticide droplets. The most effective size range of droplets for ground aerosols is about 5 to 10 µ mmd, and for aerial sprays, 10 to 25 µ mmd. Droplets larger than these sizes may be wasteful and ineffective because they contain more insecticide than is required to kill a single mosquito and they may impinge rapidly on vegetation. ULV applications from aircraft should be correlated with weather conditions so that insecticide does not drift out of the treatment area. Equipment for ground ULV applications is very good but aerial ULV equipment needs improvement. Preliminary tests with ULV for anopheline control indicate it may be a useful adjunct to currently used procedures; however, more information on effectiveness of various insecticides and timing and frequency of applications is needed.

Mortality of Adult Corn Earworms Treated with Insecticidal Formulations in Sweet Corn in Fields and in the Laboratory123

Mortality of adult Heliothis zea (Boddie) was studied by caging moths at ear and tassel height in sweet corn and applying selected insecticides with aerial and ground equipment for field evaluations and with oral feeding for laboratory evaluations. Aerial applications of Gardona® (2-chloro-1-(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl) vinyl dimethyl phosphate) and methomyl gave mortalities equivalent or superior to the standard insecticidal treatment (Niran® 6-3 (parathion (6) methyl parathion (3) + toxaphene). Emulsiliable concentrate ultra-low-volume (ULV) formulations applied with ground equipment produced similar mortalities. Low-volume dusts were less effective than other formulations. Ground applications of methomyl, Gardona WDL4 (water dispersible liquid at 4 lb/gal), carbaryl wettable powder, monocrotophos, ULV malathionmethyl parathion, and ULV malathion produced >95% mortalities. In feeding trials in the laboratory, dosages (µg/moth) of chemicals that produced 100% mortality were: methomyl 0.1; mevinphos 0.5; Gardona 5.0; Niran above 50; and DDT above 100.

Airborne Control

Canada’s newest survey technique, airborne control, was pioneered by David H. Burnett, P. Eng., BCLS, by adapting a hoversight, developed by the United States Geological Survey engineers, to specialized aerial equipment, provided by Okanagan Helicopters Ltd., which owns an exclusive patent on the use of the hoversight. The first application of this equipment and technique to the survey of mineral claims in extremely precipitous terrain was made by Interior Engineering Services Ltd.

The Dye-Tracer Method for Measuring Aerial Spray Deposits in Forest Insect Research1

The dye-tracer method for measuring aerial spray deposits consists of dissolving a known amount of dye in the spray liquid and then measuring the amount of dye recovered in the spray deposit. In forest insect research dye tracers are used for studying the spray distribution from various types of aerial spray equipment and aircraft, and for evaluating spray coverage on small forest plots. At the time of spraying, deposit samples are taken on glass or metal plates. Then, in the laboratory, the deposits are washed of (and the dye in each is measured in a Dubosq® colorimeter or a spectrophotometer. Of the two, the colorimeter is faster but has a lower sensitivity (0.05 gallon per acre). The spectrophotometer procedure, while more complicated, has a sensitivity of 0.02 gallon per acre and in addition will measure each of the 2 dyes in the mixed deposit from the dual-sprayer apparatus.

Aerial Photographic Equipment and Applications to Reconnaissance*

This paper covers briefly some of the photographic equipment and applications in use by the U. S. Air Force, with emphasis on reconnaissance photography. Three main divisions of effort are defined: reconnaissance, mapping, and the dual field of photographic instrumentation and instrumentation photography. A heuristic equation is given to demonstrate the usefulness of long focus lenses, and the development of the long focus lenses, shutters, and performance tests is described.Minimal altitude or “dicing” photography is described, its peculiar requirements noted, and several outstanding examples of its wartime employment cited. High speed shutters are not usable, under low illumination or poor weather conditions. Shutterless strip cameras and moving film magazines are now in use, utilizing image motion compensation. Remarkable photographs have been made under extreme ground speed and low illumination conditions.New developments in mounts, lenses, cameras, and shutter are described, including the 100-inch f:10 figure 4 camera, the 48-inch f:6.3 camera featuring a novel high speed louvre shutter, and two extremely wide-angle spherical focal plane cameras.The function of night photographic reconnaissance is discussed, and two night photographic systems described. The first and older system employs flash-bomb illuminants; shutter synchronization is accomplished through a photo-cell system. The Edgerton flash principle has been used in the second system; units weighing up to 3500 pounds, having a capacitor bank of 7200 microfarads, have been successfully employed up to 10,000-foot altitude.