Field evaluation of a self-propelled sprayer and effects of the application rate on spray deposition and losses to the ground in greenhouse tomato crops

BACKGROUND: In the greenhouses of south‐eastern Spain, plant protection products are applied using mainly sprayers at high pressures and high volumes. This results in major losses on the ground and less than uniform spray deposition on the canopy. Recently, self‐propelled vehicles equipped with vertical spray booms have appeared on the market. In this study, deposition on the canopy and the losses to the ground at different spray volumes have been compared, using a self‐propelled vehicle with vertical spray booms versus a gun sprayer. Three different spray volumes have been tested with a boom sprayer, and two with a spray gun. RESULTS: The vehicle with the vertical spray boom gave similar depositions to those made with the gun, but at lower application volumes. Also, the distribution of the vertical spray boom was more uniform, with lower losses to the ground. CONCLUSIONS: The vertical spray booms used in tomato crops improve the application of plant protection products with respect to the spray gun, reducing the application volumes and the environmental risks of soil pollution. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

喷雾参数对自走式喷杆喷雾机稻田喷雾农药利用率及雾滴沉积分布的影响

比较在不同喷雾压力和施药液量条件下,采用自走式喷杆喷雾机在水稻分蘖期、孕穗期、扬花期进行喷雾处理的农药利用率、沉积分布均匀性及水稻茎基部雾滴密度的差异,为建立自走式喷杆喷雾机在稻田的高效施药技术提供理论依据。以生物染料丽春红-G作为农药示踪剂,估测不同喷雾参数的农药利用率,并用变异系数、绝对份额比例值比较农药分布的均匀性。同时通过水敏纸收集水稻基部雾滴密度,分析不同喷雾参数下农药雾滴穿透水稻冠层的能力。结果表明:在水稻分蘖期,采用自走式喷杆喷雾机在喷雾压力为1.2 MPa、施药液量为375 L/hm^2条件下喷雾,每个采样点的丽春红-G的平均沉积量仅为0.11 mg,与喷雾压力为0.4 MPa、施药液量为300 L/hm^2条件下喷雾的沉积量相比减少了56.00%。在水稻孕穗期,当喷雾压力为1.2 MPa、施药液量为375 L/hm^2时进行喷雾处理,每个采样点的丽春红-G的平均沉积量达0.26 mg,显著高于其他4个处理。在水稻扬花期,不同喷雾参数间的沉积量差距减小。在合适的喷雾压力和施药液量时,自走式喷杆喷雾机在水稻分蘖期、孕穗期和扬花期进行喷雾处理,农药利用率分别达到40.57%、54.97%和55.50%。综合变异系数和绝对份额比例两个指标,采用自走式喷杆喷雾机在喷雾压力为0.8 MPa、施药液量为300 L/hm^2条件下喷雾,农药分布更均匀。喷雾压力对水稻基部雾滴密度有显著影响,在水稻生长中后期,当喷雾压力低于0.8 MPa、施药液量为225~375 L/hm^2时,水稻茎秆基部雾滴密度均小于30个/cm^2。研究结果表明,喷雾压力和施药液量对自走式喷杆喷雾机稻田喷雾的农药利用率、分布均匀性及水稻茎秆基部雾滴密度有显著影响。在水稻生长前期,不宜采用高压力大水量喷雾作业;在水稻生长中后期,为增加对水稻基部病虫害的防治效果,需提高喷雾压力。     

Efficacies of low- to high-volume (960-10 700 litre ha− 1) citrus sprayers for applying petroleum spray oil to control chinese wax scale

Petroleum spray oil (2, 4 and 6% in water) was applied to Valencia orange, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck, for the control of Chinese wax scale, Ceroplastes sinensis del Guercio, using a low-volume ( <2000 litre ha^?1)air-blast (LV AB) sprayer, a low- to high-volume (L-HV) (up to 7000 litre ha^?1) sprayer with four fan-assisted rotary atomiser (FARA) spray heads mounted on a vertical tower, and a high-volume (>7000 litre ha^?1) oscillating boom (HV OB) sprayer. The most effective sprayer was the L-HV FARA sprayer. The most cost-effective treatment was a 20 ml litre^?1 (60 litre oil ha^?1) spray applied at 3000 litre ha^?1 by the L-HV FARA sprayer. It gave mortality equivalent to a standard 20 ml litre^?1, 10 700 litre ha^?1 spray (214 litre oil ha^?1) applied by the HV OB sprayer but with 72% less spray and significantly less oil deposited per cm² of leaf area. Equivalent or significantly (P = 0·05) higher mortality than that given by the 10 700 litre ha^?1 HV OB spray was given by the 40 ml litre^?1, 3000 (120 litre oil ha^?1) and 60 ml litre^?1, 2180 and 3000 litre ha^?1 (130·8 and 180 litre oil ha^?1) L-HV FARA sprays, but the 60 ml litre^?1 sprays deposited more oil per cm² than the 20 ml litre^?1 HV OB spray and were considered to be potentially phytotoxic. The least effective sprayer was the LV AB sprayer, which applied a 60 ml litre^?1 spray (57·6 litre oil ha^?1) at 960 litre ha^?1. Linear relationships were established for Chinese wax scale mortality, transformed using an angular transformation (arcsin proportion), versus log₁₀ spray volume for the 20, 40 and 60 ml litre^?1 sprays applied by L-HV FARA at 1260,2180 and 3000 litre ha^?1, mortality versus log₁₀ μg oil cm^?2 and log₁₀ μg oil versus log₁₀ volume of oil sprayed.     

The potential environmental impact of pesticides removed from sprayers during cleaning

BACKGROUND: There is concern that pesticide residues on the external surfaces of sprayers could have an adverse impact on the environment if they are washed off, yet there is a need to remove these residues for health reasons. The aim of this study was to quantify pesticide residues contained in washings from cleaning discrete parts of a sprayer and to assess their likely environmental impact. RESULTS: The boom/rear of the sprayer and the spray tank accounted for 80% of the total pesticide load in the washings. Predicted environmental pesticide concentrations from sprayer washings were lower than predictions from the FOCUS surface water model for pesticides used under normal agricultural conditions, although for tebuconazole this difference was smaller than for the other compounds investigated. The field area over which the residues may need to be uniformly deposited to avoid overdosing during infield cleaning was typically less than 0.5 m(2), with a maximum value of 4 m(2). CONCLUSIONS: It is unlikely that infield cleaning will lead to overdosing. External residues are not insignificant, so any adverse impact on the environment must be mitigated. Appropriate measures include cleaning in the field away from surface waters and other sensitive areas, and cleaning machines over bunded areas or similar.     

Effect of spray application technique on spray deposition in greenhouse strawberries and tomatoes

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, Flemish greenhouse growers are using spray booms instead of spray guns to apply plant protection products. Although the advantages of spray booms are well known, growers still have many questions concerning nozzle choice and settings. Spray deposition using a vertical spray boom in tomatoes and strawberries was compared with reference spray equipment. Five different settings of nozzle type, size and pressure were tested with the spray boom. RESULTS: In general, the standard vertical spray boom performed better than the reference spray equipment in strawberries (spray gun) and in tomatoes (air‐assisted sprayer). Nozzle type and settings significantly affected spray deposition and crop penetration. Highest overall deposits in strawberries were achieved using air‐inclusion or extended‐range nozzles. In tomatoes, the extended‐range nozzles and the twin air‐inclusion nozzles performed best. Using smaller‐size extended‐range nozzles above the recommended pressure range resulted in lower deposits, especially inside the crop canopy. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a vertical spray boom is a promising technique for applying plant protection products in a safe and efficient way in tomatoes and strawberries, and nozzle choice and setting should be carefully considered. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Spray drift as influenced by meteorological and technical factors

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate spray drift from a conventional field sprayer as influenced by meteorological and technical factors, and to provide spray operators with data on which to base sound judgements when applying pesticides. The study was conducted in grazing fields and cereal crops. RESULTS: Interpreting the results from 15 field trials under varying meteorological conditions using different boom heights and driving speeds indicates that, during normal spraying conditions, the most decisive factors influencing the total spray drift (TSD) will be boom height and wind speed, followed by air temperature, driving speed and vapour pressure deficit. One important finding was that TSD (within the encompassed range of meteorological conditions and a boom height of 0.4 m) could be expressed as a simple function of the fraction of droplets ≤ 100 µm. In cereal crops: TSD = 0.36 + 0.11× [fr. (d ≤ 100 µm)] and in grazing fields, TSD = 1.02 + 0.10× [fr. (d ≤ 100 µm)]. In most cases a fraction of the airborne drift passed over the 6 m sampling mast located 5 m downwind of the spray swath. CONCLUSIONS: Under specified conditions, the present results indicate a simple relation between the total spray drift and volume fractions of droplets ≤ 100 µm. Given the nozzle type, it was concluded that the most decisive factors determining TSD are wind speed and boom height. Evaluating the relative importance of the meteorological and technical factors contributes to increasing knowledge in this field of research. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

离心雾化低容量喷杆喷雾与常量喷雾对比研究

为探究装配离心雾化喷头的喷杆喷雾机在小麦田植保作业中的适用性,研发了一种基于低容量离心雾化技术的喷杆喷雾机(BSC),以添加诱惑红示踪剂的3种药剂（5%己唑醇悬浮剂、40%氧乐果乳油和50%吡蚜酮水分散粒剂）的混合复配制剂为供试药液,与装配液力式喷头的背负式喷雾器(KSH)、喷杆喷雾机(BSH)以及装配离心雾化喷头的背负式喷雾器(KSC)进行田间施药对比试验,分析了4种机具的主要作业效果指标——雾滴沉积分布均匀性、小麦冠层药液穿透性、作业效率以及防治效果。结果表明:对于沉积均匀性,离心雾化低容量喷杆喷雾与常量喷雾无显著性差异,而装配离心雾化喷头的背负式喷雾器的沉积均匀性低于其他3种机具;与常量喷雾相比,离心雾化方式有效提高了药液的冠层穿透性,最多可提高2.9倍;与常量喷杆、低容量离心背负和常量背负式喷雾器相比,低容量离心喷杆喷雾机的作业效率分别提高0.5倍、5.6倍和18.6倍;对比空白处理,低容量离心喷雾和常量喷雾方式防治效果显著,但两者之间无显著性差异。该研究可为低容量施药技术、超低容量施药技术和离心雾化技术在喷杆喷雾机上的应用提供参考。     

冠层推拨装置对喷杆喷雾机雾滴飘失与沉积特性的影响

喷杆喷雾机具有作业效率高、雾滴覆盖率高、沉积分布均匀、防治效果好等优点,是目前大田作物最主要的施药机具.但受作物冠层遮挡和侧风等气象条件的影响,导致喷杆喷雾机作业时雾滴难以穿透到植株中下部并伴随飘失.为改善喷杆喷雾机喷雾雾滴在作物冠层的穿透性并降低飘移量,本文优化设计了一种适用于大田作物的喷杆喷雾机冠层推拨装置.并分别...     

杀螟松防治麦蚜的研究

1983—1986年通过室内毒力测定比较,在20种供试农药中筛选出杀螟松对麦蚜具有很高毒力,田间试验和示范表明,小麦不同部位农药沉积量同药效呈正相关,杀螟松对小麦各部位的蚜虫均有良好防效。1985—1986年在京、冀、甘、川、豫等省示范和推广10多万亩,每亩用50％乳油30毫升,无论用高容量、低容量、超低容量或吹雾法喷雾,防效均在90％以上。杀螟松是我国正在发展的大吨位农药品种,具有防效好、药源广、成本低、对人畜安全、无残毒等优点。作者认为是值得推荐的防治麦蚜的农药品种。     

Evaluation of food sprays and relay strip crops for enhancing biological control of bollworms and cotton aphids in cotton

Studies were conducted at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station research farms located at Munday (1996 test) and Chillicothe (1997 test) to evaluate relay strip crops in combination with a food spray to enhance biological control of bollworms, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover, in cotton. The relay crops included fall plantings of hairy vetch, Vicia villosa Roth, and canola, Brassica napus L., and a spring planting of grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor L. Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., was planted between the relay crops or was isolated from the relay crops. Treatments within the two cotton systems included an untreated check plot, a plot sprayed with sugar+yeast (food spray) during summer to attract and hold predator insects, a plot sprayed with biological ('soft') insecticides for bollworm and cotton aphid control (Bacillus thuringiensis and pymetrozine, respectively), and a plot sprayed with harsh insecticides for bollworm and cotton aphid control (zeta cypermethrin and dicrotophos or profonofos, respectively). A split-plot experimental design, with three replications, was used where whole plots included relay and isolated cotton systems and subplots were the four food/chemical treatments. Predator numbers were monitored with a vacuum sampler once a week in relay crops and cotton. Bollworms and cotton aphids were monitored visually once a week in cotton during July and August. Total predator numbers were higher in cotton adjacent to relay crops in 1996, but not in 1997. The food spray did not enhance attraction and retention of predators either year. Bollworm larval numbers were significantly higher in relay cotton, food spray plots in 1996. Bollworm larval numbers were similar in relay and isolated cotton, and larval numbers were significantly reduced only in the plot where zeta cypermethrin (harsh insecticide plot) was used. In 1996, cotton aphid numbers in the relay cotton system were significantly higher in the untreated check plots in relation to numbers in the food spray, soft insecticide, and harsh insecticide plots, which were statistically similar. In the isolated cotton system, aphid numbers were highest in untreated plots, intermediate in food spray and soft insecticide plots, and lowest in the harsh insecticide plots. Aphid numbers increased more rapidly in the harsh insecticide plots that had been treated previously for bollworm control. The food spray and pymetrozine treatments reduced cotton aphids more effectively in the relay cropping system than in the isolated cotton system. Bollworms and cotton aphids did not reach pest status in 1997. The combination of a relay cropping system with a food spray did not enhance predator numbers and did not aid in retention of predators in cotton during August. Sucrose in the food spray attracted high numbers of bollworms in 1996.     

Development and assessment of a novel servo-controlled spraying system for real time adjustment of the orientation angle of the nozzles of a boom sprayer

Background

Pesticide spray drift, which is the movement of pesticide by wind to any location other than the intended area, is hazardous to human, animal, food safety and environmental health. It is not possible to completely eliminate spray drift during spraying with field crop sprayers, but spray drift can be reduced by developing new technologies. The most common methods to reduce spray drift are carrying the droplets to the target with air-assisted spraying, electrostatic spraying, preferring air induction nozzles and boom shields. With these methods, it is not possible to make a change on the sprayer depending on the wind intensity during spraying. In this study, a novel servo-controlled spraying system was designed and developed to change the nozzle orientation angle in the reverse direction of the wind current to reduce the ground spray drift in real time and automatically in a wind tunnel. The displacement in the spray pattern (D_c) was used as a ground drift indicator for each nozzle to evaluate the spray drift.

Results

The developed system, operated by LabVIEW software, calculated different nozzle orientation angles depending on nozzle types, wind velocities and spraying pressures. Orientation angles calculated for different test conditions achieved in reduction were up to 49.01% for XR11002 nozzle, 32.82% for AIXR11002 nozzle and 32.31% for TTJ6011002 nozzle at 400 kPa spray pressure and 2.5 m s⁻¹ wind velocity.

Conclusion

The developed system, which has a self-decision mechanism, calculated the nozzle orientation angle instantaneously according to the wind velocity. It has been observed that the adjustable spraying nozzle system, sprayed with high precision towards the wind in the wind tunnel, and the developed system have advantages compared to conventional spraying systems. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Development of a new small-plot sprayer and some predictions of the field performance

Summary: Résumé: Zusammenfassung A sprayer to apply herbicides to 1-m² plots in the field in a manner closely related to conventional spraying systems, is described. Distribution of spray solution was less variable with the new sprayer than with the micro-plot sprayer previously used, Variations in spray distribution due to uneven propulsion of the sprayer by hand were less than that due to the nozzles and contributed little to the overall coefficient of variation. A nozzle-testing table did not predict the spray distribution achieved by the sprayer. Elaboration d'un nouveau type de pulvérisateur pour petites parcelles et prévisions de ses possibilityés au champ. Les auteurs decrivént un pulvérisateur destinéà I'application d'herbicides sur des parcelles de 1 m², au champ, d'une manière très proche des systèmes de pulvérisation conventionnels. La distribution de la bouillie herbicide a été moins variableavec lenouveau pulvérisateurqu'aveccelui précédemment utilisé pour les micro-parcelles. Les variations dans la distribution du liquide pulvérisé provoquées par les irrégularitiés dc la propulsion manuelle du pulvérisateur, onl été inférieures à celles provenant des buses et n'ont contribué que pour une faible pan au coefficient global de variation. Une table d'essai des buses n'a pas permis de prtvoir la distribution de la pulvérisation effeciuée par le pulvérisateur. Entwickhtng eines neuen Kleinpariellen-Spritzgeräts und einige Anmerkungen ztim Feldeinsatz Eswirdein Herbizid-Spritzgerät fur 1 m² grosse Feldparzellen beschrieben, mit dem die Applikation ahnlich wie mit herkömmlichen Spritzen durchgefiührl wird. Die Verteilung der Spritzflüssigkeit war mit dem neuen Gerät einheitlicher als mit dem früher verwendeten Kleinparzellcn-Spritzgerät. Die Schwankungen in der Brüheverteilung, bedingt durch ungleichmässigen Handbetrleb, waren geringer als die durch die Däsen verursachten und trugen wenig zum gesam-ten Slreuungskoefflzienten bei. Die Verteilung der Spritz-brühe stimmte nicht mit den Daten aus einer Düsenprüftabelle überein.     

不同助剂、喷头及喷雾压力对自走式喷杆喷雾机稻田喷雾效果的影响

以亿丰丸山3WP-500CN型号自走式喷杆喷雾机为研究对象，以诱惑红85作为指示剂，测定了6种喷雾助剂 (红太阳、倍力、迈丝、融透、印楝油和哈速腾)、3种喷头 (TEEJET-VP80015、ASJ-VP110015和LICHENG-VP11003) 以及3种喷雾压力 (0.2、0.4 和0.6 MPa) 对农药沉积利用率、药液雾化性能 (D₅₀值雾滴密度等)、雾滴分布均匀性等喷雾参数的影响，以及240 g/L噻呋酰胺悬浮剂对水稻纹枯病防治效果及水稻产量的影响。结果表明:采用TEEJET-VP80015喷头，在0.4 MPa喷雾压力条件下，助剂哈速腾雾滴分布均匀性显著高于其他助剂，变异系数为0.11，同时对雾滴估计沉积量 (45.74 μL/cm2) 与分布跨度 (1.29) 的影响显著高于其他助剂；助剂迈丝对雾滴密度 (103.78个/cm2) 和农药沉积利用率 (83.88%) 的影响均显著高于其他助剂。采用TEEJET-VP80015喷头，在未添加助剂条件下，不同喷雾压力对雾滴分布跨度、雾滴附着率和农药沉积利用率影响差异显著，其中在0.6 MPa压力下，分布跨度为1.18，雾滴附着率为33.32%，农药沉积利用率为78.19%。在未添加助剂、0.4 MPa喷雾压力条件下，喷头LICHENG-VP11003对雾滴分布均匀性的影响显著高于另外两种喷头，变异系数为0.12，同时对雾滴覆盖率 (69.37%)、雾滴估计沉积量 (42.77 μL/cm2) 和农药沉积利用率 (75.79%) 的影响也显著高于另外两种喷头。各测定条件下，240 g/L噻呋酰胺悬浮剂对水稻纹枯病的防治效果与雾化性能和雾化参数结果一致，其中添加助剂迈丝后防治效果达到89.27%，显著高于添加其他助剂，增大喷雾压力到0.6 MPa，防治效果达到88.67%，显著高于其他压力条件；采用TEEJET-VP80015喷头，在0.4 MPa喷雾压力下，水稻产量为8301 kg/hm2，显著高于人工喷雾。因此，助剂与喷头类型均对自走式喷杆喷雾机施药时的农药沉积利用率、雾滴分布均匀性以及雾滴参数和雾化效果有显著的影响，在适当的喷雾压力下添加助剂可提高农药的防治效果。     

A Field Bioassay Approach to Assess the Toxicity of Insecticide Residues on Soil to Collembola

Field bioassays were conducted to assess the toxicity of three insecticides, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin and pirimicarb, to four species of springtails, Isotoma viridis, Isotomurus palustris, Folsomia candida (Collembola: Isotomidae) and Sminthurus viridis (Collembola: Sminthuridae). Spray residues on two soil types (a sandy clay loam and a sandy soil) were obtained in the field, in the presence and absence of a wheat crop canopy, after spray application by a commercial tractor-mounted sprayer. Collembola were then confined for 24-h periods on the sprayed soils in a constant laboratory environment at 1, 2, 3, 8 and 15 days after treatment. Residual insecticide toxicity was compared between species, insecticides, soils and exposure conditions (crop or no crop) using the age of residue at which median mortality occurred (DAT₅₀). Cypermethrin and pirimicarb residues were of low toxicity, causing less than 10% mortality, whereas residues of chloryprifos were toxic to all four species of Collembola on both soil types and in both exposure treatments. Interspecific differences in collembolan susceptibility to chlorpyrifos residues gave the ranking (from most to least susceptible) S. viridis>F. candida>Isotomurus palustris>Isotoma viridis. Residues on the sandy soil were more toxic than those on the sandy clay loam. These results are discussed in terms of how field bioassay approaches may be used to determine pesticide residual toxicity to microarthropods. We conclude that field bioassays offer a feasible method for evaluating the toxicity of pesticides and the persistence of toxic effects on Collembola. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are considered.     

Reviews Section: The Motax 33 -- motorized, portable, air- assisted, CDA sprayer

The Motax 33, a portable air-assisted controlled droplet application (CDA) sprayer, offers a new approach to the application of pesticides within coffee and other bush crops. It uses a rotary atomizer to produce small, uniformly sized droplets which are propelled into the crop foliage by a wide and turbulent air blast, allowing the use of low spray volumes. Compared with traditional high-volume techniques the sprayer offers the possibility of improved spray coverage and penetration at low spray volumes, typically 30--70 l ha–1, allowing more timely spray treatments with the potential to adopt more responsive integrated insect pest and disease management strategies     

背负式静电喷雾器静电喷施对2种玉米田除草剂的减量效应

为了明确背负式静电喷雾器静电喷施对玉米田除草剂的减量效应,以土壤处理除草剂40%乙·莠SE和茎叶处理除草剂30%苯唑草酮SC+90%莠去津WG+专用助剂作为参试除草剂,测定了背负式静电喷雾器在不同施药剂量下的静电喷施效果。结果表明:背负式静电喷雾器静电喷施对40%乙·莠SE和30%苯唑草酮SC+90%莠去津WG+专用助剂均有明显的减量效应。当40%乙·莠SE和30%苯唑草酮SC+90%莠去津WG+专用助剂中90%莠去津WG的施用量分别降至2 850 mL/hm 2和825 g/hm 2时,较各自推荐施用量分别减少用药量36.67%和21.43%,对玉米田主要杂草仍有理想的控制效果,株防效超过64%,鲜重防效超过95%;并可最大限度地改善玉米茎、穗部性状,减轻对玉米产量的影响,较人工除草分别减产1.96%和0.29%。可见,背负式静电喷雾器在玉米田土壤处理除草剂和茎叶处理除草剂喷施中具有较大的应用价值。     

Weed Problems in Chotanagpur Agriculture

Abstract

Micron Sprayers Ltd have produced a sprayer, the Herbi, designed to produce uniform atomisation with both oil- and water-based formulations. Three different nozzle sizes give low, medium and high flow rates. In performance tests wetting agents were found to be necessary to produce uniform droplets. The volume distribution across the swath showed four peaks and for the flow rate, liquid and atomiser height examined the two major peaks were at 50 and 60 cms either side of the line of the sprayer, indicating a peak to peak width of 110 cm. Of the collected spray, 75% settled within a central band of 120 cm, 99% within 180 cm and 100% within 195 cm. To prevent superimposition of peaks leading to high overdose, a swath width of 150–160 cm is suggested, such that overlap occurs at the outer position of half peak height. To avoid excessive spray drift it is recommended that the sprayer is not used in any but very light wind. The authors conclude that this machine should prove very useful for very low volume application between rows in bush and tree crops, and for treating larger areas.     

Efficacy of aerial application ofBacillus thuringiensis to controlSpodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) infesting soybean cultivations in Egypt

The calculated percentage of droplets deposition ofBacillus thuringiensis var.kurstaki HD-1 Dipel 2X on the foliage of soybean plants in relation to the sensitive “Ciba Geigy” papers showed to be the highest (92.4%) after ground spray application, compared to an average of 67.4, 85.8 and 89.3% following aerial application of the same preparation in spray volumes of 10, 20 and 30 l/F, respectively. Aerial application ofB. t. showed to be more effective during the first 3 days after spraying soybean cultivations and the mortality ofSpodoptera littoralis larvae varied between 36.9–67.2% in correlation to the spray volume. The volume achieving the highest and significant suppression of infestation was 20 l/F. On the other hand, the yield of soybeans obtained from plots receiving a spray volume of 30 l/F was higher compared to plots sprayed with a volume of 20 or 10 l/F, but with no significant difference when compared to those plots receiving ground spray application.     

Evaluation of the Francome MkII exhaust nozzle sprayer to apply oil-based formulations of Metarhizium flavoviride for locust control

Conidia of the fungus Metarhizium flavoviride were formulated in a paraffinic oil, ‘Shellsol’ T, and sprayed using the Francome MkII exhaust nozzle sprayer. Germination of the conidia collected from the spray was reduced by 30% as compared to unsprayed conidia. However, in bioassays, there was no detectable difference in virulence with conidia collected from the spray samples and unsprayed formulation. This indicated that, despite the recorded reduction in the concentration of active conidia, the efficacy of the formulation remained unchanged after passing through the exhaust nozzle sprayer. The droplet size spectra produced by the sprayer were investigated using the Malvern series 2600cc particle size analyser. The optimum droplets for locust control produced by this sprayer were generated by the number 1 nozzle (internal diameter 2·5 mm) with the number 1 restrictor ring (internal diameter 12.5 mm) sprayed at a pressure of 0·2 bar. The droplets thus produced had a volume median diameter of 58 μm when the nozzle protruded between 1 and 2 mm above the level of the restrictor ring. Of the droplets in the spray plume created by these conditions, 33% were between 50 and 100 μm, a range recommended as an achievable optimum for the ultra-low-volume application of Metarhizium flavoviride. The role of the exhaust nozzle sprayer as a tool for the application of M. flavoviride for locust control is discussed with reference to other vehicle-mounted ultra-low-volume sprayers. © 1997 SCI     

水稻田几种常用喷雾法的药液沉积率测定

对稻区常用的几种喷雾方法所产生雾滴的沉积率进行了测定。手动喷雾器的大容量喷雾法的药液沉积率虽高,但药剂有效成份之沉积率较低。低容量喷雾法的药液沉积率较低,而药剂有效成份沉积率较高。对稻区流行的喷雨法和水唧简法的沉积率不稳定和偏低,进行了评价。湿润展布剂对于药液的沉积能力有显著影响,在有湿润展布剂时,药液沉积率显著提高。不合湿展剂时,增加喷雾量对于药液沉积率的提高作用较小。大容量喷撒法有大量农药散落到田水中,而在株冠层内的穿透和分布能力并不好。