Assessment of microbial biocontrol agent (BCA) viability to mechanical and thermal stress by simulating spray application conditions

Background

In order to improve the biological control agent (BCA) efficacy, stress factors threatening the viability of microorganisms during spray application need to be determined. The effect of spray mixture temperature and exposure time on Trichoderma harzianum T 22 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713 viability were tested. Concurrently the combined effect of mechanical and thermal stress effect on BCA viability were tested at two initial spray mixture temperatures (14 and 25 °C) by simulating a spray application using airblast sprayers featured by different tank capacity and a spray liquid circuit (without and with hydraulic agitation system). To assess the BCA microorganism viability, spray mixture samples were collected at time intervals along trials and plated to count the colony forming units (CFU).

Results

The critical temperature threshold that inhibited BCA viability was 35 °C with 30 min of exposure. The sprayer type, the initial temperature of the spray mixture and the temperature increment during the trials significantly decreased the number of CFU recovered. When simulating a spray application, the spray mixture temperature increase rate was determined mainly by the residual amount of spray mixture in the tank. Even if the tank capacity does not substantially affect the final temperature reached by the spray mixture, the higher residual spray mixture in bigger tanks can expose the BCAs for a longer time to critical temperatures.

Conclusions

Experimental trials allowed us to identify the effect of factors affecting the viability of tested BCAs, providing information about the actual chance to guarantee the biological efficacy of BCA treatments. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

3MG-30型果园弥雾机的研制与试验

研制了一种与小四轮拖拉机配套的、适用于标准化果园植保作业的机载果园型弥雾机，对该机各项性能指标进行了试验与分析。试验结果表明，与其他类型喷头相比，按一定排列组合的空心雾锥喷头在与风机配合使用进行药液的2次雾化时具有更好的喷雾量分布和雾滴分布均匀性；小于35m/s的风机出口风速所产生的梯度气流使枝叶扭转与退让，并使雾滴的穿透性和树内沉积量增加，提高了作业质量和机组生产率。     

树冠环绕式仿形对靶施药机设计与试验

针对树冠横切面形状引起施药机喷头与树冠间距发生动态变化从而导致树冠内、外和两侧、中部等区域喷药量不均匀、较多药液喷洒在无效空间区域的问题,该研究提出一种基于激光雷达树干定位的树冠环绕式仿形对靶喷药方式。首先,基于喷头环绕树冠的运动需求,设计对称交叉布置的两自由度仿形机构,并建立喷头运动学模型,采用基于二环PID算法对喷杆伸缩和喷头旋转进行精准控制,通过匹配施药机前进速度实现喷头半圆和多边形轨迹仿形控制;然后采用平面激光雷达对树干高度的水平面进行扫描,提出基于DBSCAN(dnsity-based spatial clustering of applications with noise)密度聚类和3点树干形状拟合的树干动态识别和定位方法;再次,在FreeRTOS框架下搭建双层控制系统,对树干定位感知、动态喷头仿形轨迹控制、数据通信和操控交互等多任务进行并行处理,实现基于激光雷达树干位置信息的喷头动态伺服仿形控制。最后,以雾滴沉积量、雾滴密度、药液覆盖率和雾滴体积中值直径作为量化指标,在树冠不同区域布置10个检测点,对环绕式和定距施药开展6组对比试验。雾滴结果表明,树干纵向和横向定位误...     

果园喷雾机自动对靶喷雾控制系统研制与试验

为提高农药利用率,减少环境污染,该文针对中国果园机械化作业条件差和传统果园喷雾机连续喷雾时存在果树间空隙无效喷雾的特点,设计了自动对靶喷雾控制系统,该系统以GY8履带自走式果园喷雾机为载体,采用传感器测距方式探测果树,实现自动对靶喷雾。通过对超声波、红外和激光3种传感器进行性能比较,及对超声波和激光2种传感器进行静态识别间距测试与分析,红外传感器受光强影响较大,超声波传感器识别间距超过800 mm,均不满足果园精确对靶喷雾控制要求,激光传感器静态识别间距只有20 mm,具有工作稳定、响应快速、方向性好等特点,故将激光传感器选为自动对靶喷雾机探测装置,并将激光传感器安装于喷头组件前方220 mm。采用连续3次检测靶标判别法设计了自动对靶喷雾系统,该系统可有效避免因激光光束较细而导致的将树冠内空洞、枝间间隙等误判为果树间空隙而出现的电磁阀频繁启闭动作。行驶速度为0.5 m/s时,自动对靶喷雾控制系统的动态靶标识别间距介于100~150 mm之间,行驶速度1.0 m/s时,动态靶标识别间距为200~250 mm。此外,该系统还具有提前及延后喷雾功能,自动对靶喷雾系统提前靶标95.0~157.5 mm距离开始喷雾,离开靶标100 mm距离停止喷雾,使喷雾完全覆盖整个树冠。与连续喷雾相比,对靶喷雾可有效节省施药量,对于空隙比为20.0%、35.2%、52.9%靶标行枣树,行驶速度为0.5 m/s时省药率分别达27.9%、53.7%、76.9%,行驶速度为1.0 m/s时省药率分别达27.3%、54.5%、81.0%。因此,该自动对靶喷雾系统对稀疏果园的精确对靶病虫害防治具有较好的实用价值。     

Soil and Weed Survey for Spatially Variable Herbicide Application on Railways

Weed control on railways is frequently done by herbicide application, using large amounts of chemicals and labour. Only a few hectares of surface area on a railway can be many kilometres long so high levels of spatial variability of soils and weeds are expected. Railway sprayers use similar technology to crop sprayers so it is possible to adopt concepts from precision agriculture for weed control. The objective of this study was to evaluate spatial variability of soils and weeds on railways in order to define weed control strategies and basic characteristics of a railway sprayer. This work is part of a research project aiming at the development of a system for spatially variable herbicide application on railways. Soil and weed data were collected from five different railway companies in Brazil. These data were used to simulate treatment maps based on weed control strategies and to estimate technical requirements for spatially variable herbicide application. The results showed that soil and weed survey gave important information for defining weed control strategies and spraying equipment. The sprayer must treat the three swaths (left, central and right parts of the railway surface) separately applying at least two different herbicides at the same time. On average, a variable dose rate application based on the treatment maps generated in this work could save up to 59% of herbicides.     

Infection and decontamination of citrus canker-inoculated leaf surfaces

Citrus canker (Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, Xcc) is now considered endemic in Florida and continues to spread. Various surfaces, including plant material, personnel and equipment can become contaminated. Decontamination is practiced in both disease-endemic and disease-free areas to reduce the risk of bacterial spread by man or machinery. We used grapefruit leaf surfaces to explore the efficacy of a commonly used personnel sprayer system applying a quaternary amine decontaminant. In three experiments, plants in flush (leaves ¾ expanded) were inoculated (∼10⁵ CFU ml⁻¹). Immediately after inoculation, plants were passed through the sprayers 0, 1, 2, 3, or 6 times. Leaves were sampled at 0.5, 10 and 20 min after decontamination and tested for viable Xcc by dilution plating. There was a large and rapid decline in the quantity of live bacteria with one pass through the decontamination sprayer (>80% decrease in CFU ml⁻¹), and multiple sprays (2-6) resulted in up to 100% mortality of surface Xcc. Presumably more thorough coverage with multiple sprays killed remnant bacteria, although the first spray invariably caused the highest proportion of population mortality. The effect of the decontaminant spray was immediate (within 0.5 min only 3-11% of surface bacteria survived, and by 20 min <1-3% survived). Based on these results, use of a personnel sprayer with a quaternary amine compound is highly effective for reducing surface inoculum. A single spray kills a high proportion of the population, but multiple sprays increase mortality of Xcc. All the Xcc-inoculated plants subsequently developed symptoms of citrus canker. No significant difference in incidence or severity of grapefruit leaf infection was detected among decontamination treatments or compared to the untreated control. This finding indicates that infection occurred at, or very soon after, inoculation, and that Xcc was in protected sites inside the leaf before exposure to the decontaminant spray.     

Low volume spraying on cotton: a comparison between spray distribution using charged and uncharged droplets applied by two spinning disc sprayers

Two hand held spinning disc sprayers, one producing electrostatically charged spray, were assessed and compared on Egyptian cotton. The charged droplets produced greater overall deposition with a higher proportion on the undersurface of leaves. Spinning disc sprayers offer smallholder cotton farmers several advantages over higher volume sprays applied by knapsack sprayers, and it is suggested that charged rotary atomisers merit further consideration for controlling troublesome cotton pests such as whiteflies which are found on the undersurface of leaves.     

Insects and Mites

Abstract

Insecticide spraying trials conducted over a period of four years, 1970 to 1974, have shown that u.l.v. spraying using various formulations is as effective as conventional low volume sprays in increasing the yield of cowpea. More than ten-fold increase in yield may be obtained from a crop protected from insect damage by insecticide applications. In northern Nigeria where water is not often readily available the choice open to the farmer is to use u.l.v. spraying or not to spray at all.     

常规施药机具喷施微生物农药研究

针对微生物农药含有大量菌丝、菌核生物的特点,通过试验与测定,研究常规施药机具作业时产生的工作压力、流体速度、流道结构等参数变化对微生物农药活性的影响。试验表明:随着工作压力、液体流速的增加,活菌吸附定殖数逐渐增多;气体流速在35 m/s时,活菌的吸附定殖效果最好;水稻病害防治效果较明显。     

Environmentally friendly spray techniques for tree crops

Environmentally safe spray techniques have been developed to use minimal pesticide inputs and apply them only when and where needed with reduced losses to the environment. In this paper, two such systems are described: (1) shielded systems that recycle spray liquid that would otherwise be lost; (2) detection systems that recognise where there are gaps in crop rows for which spray is not needed. The results of studies by several research groups prove the relevance of these sprayers in reducing pesticide losses. Shielded spraying allows a reduction in chemical input in orchard protection by up to 85% by exploiting more uniform in-canopy spray distribution, recycling the spray that would otherwise be wasted. Sprayers with target detection systems apply spray only where target trees or bushes are present. This technique can reduce chemical consumption in orchards by 30% and decrease drift by 50%.