Spot-application of fungicide for wild blueberry using an automated prototype variable rate sprayer

Wild blueberry producers apply fungicide uniformly without considering significant bare spots in the field. The wrong or over use of fungicide in bare spots results in an increased cost of production and threatens the environment. An automated prototype variable rate (VR) sprayer was used for spot-application (SA) of Chlorothalonil (Bravo^®) fungicide in a wild blueberry field. Eighteen 6.1 m wide test tracks were selected in the field and bare spots were mapped using a real-time kinematics-global positioning system (RTK-GPS). Six plots were selected randomly for three different application rates. Water sensitive papers (WSP) were placed in foliage and bare spots in SA and uniform-application (UA) tracks. The percent area coverage (PAC) of WSP with both SA and UA in foliage and bare spot areas were calculated. Plant growth parameters were measured from all 108 randomly selected plots in SA, UA and control (CN) tracks for comparison. Plant images were taken over six selected plots in each of the 18 tracks. Images were analyzed using custom developed software to calculate the percentage of green pixels (PGP) for determining the effect of Bravo^® on plant health. Fruit yield parameters were also measured from selected plots for comparison. Non-significance of the t test for SA versus UA plant targets’ PAC indicated that there was no significant bias in the SA with saving (9.90–51.22 %) and SA was accurate. Bravo^® did not show any significant difference on plant growth parameters among SA, UA and CN. However, PGP, floral bud and harvestable yield of SA and UA were significantly increased over CN. Therefore, a VR sprayer could be used for SA of fungicides in wild blueberry cropping system to reduce chemical usage and maintain crop productivity.     

Machine vision smart sprayer for spot-application of agrochemical in wild blueberry fields

An essential part of the wild blueberry cropping system is the proper management of agrochemical inputs including herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. A machine vision system was developed and mounted on the rear sprayer boom 0.18 m in front of the sprayer nozzles capable of targeting the agrochemical application on an as-needed basis. The three-point hitch mounted sprayer featured 27 nozzles over a 13.7 m boom width and a storage tank capacity of 1135 l. Nine digital color cameras continually take images in real-time while computer software processes the images in 0.15 s to determine the target locations where the nozzles open and spray at speeds up to 1.77 m s^?1. Two wild blueberry fields in central Nova Scotia were selected for smart sprayer performance testing with spot-application (SA) of agrochemical as compared to control and uniform application techniques. Chateau^® herbicide was applied in a field with an infestation of hair cap moss. Spray droplet comparison showed moss patches were properly targeted using the smart sprayer. SA provided the same coverage performance as compared to uniform on the moss targets with herbicide application savings of 78.5% using the smart sprayer. Harvestable yield results were similar for all application tracks. TruPhos Magnesium and ZincMax foliar fertilizers were tank mixed with Bravo^® and Proline^® fungicides and applied to compare the difference of SA, control and uniform application. Results showed SA of foliar fertilizer and fungicide led to less premature leaf drop and increased the blueberry stem height, number of branches, stem diameter and fruit buds. SA of foliar fertilizer and fungicide also increased the percent of healthy wild blueberry plants by 57.8% and the harvestable yield by 137.8%. Fungicide application savings using the smart sprayer for SA were 11.6%.     

9种植保机械防治小麦穗蚜的农药沉积率与效果比较

为研究常用植保机械对农作物病虫防治的应用效果,采用雾滴沉积分布、粒径大小检测和田间调查等方法,对9种常用植保机械防治小麦穗蚜的农药沉积率和效果进行测定。结果表明:电动喷雾器、机动弥雾机和自走式喷杆喷雾机沉积率较高,达到51.4%~63.7%;单旋翼无人机和地面喷雾机械防治效果达到80%以上,优于其他低空低量植保机械;在专业化统防统治作业中,自走式喷杆喷雾机适宜大面积推广使用;低空低量喷雾防漂移技术、专用助剂、农药剂型等需加大研发力度。     

3WXG-300型喷杆式喷雾机苗前化学防除玉米杂草的效果

[目的]引进优质、高效的喷杆式喷雾机。[方法]对3WXG-300型喷杆式喷雾机与农民自制喷杆式喷雾机在喷液量及苗前化学防除玉米杂草的效果进行对比试验。[结果]3WXG-300型喷杆式喷雾机比农民自制喷杆式喷雾机喷液量减少418L/hm^2,作业时间减少7.4min/hm^2,节水59.7%,作业效率提高29.7%;玉米苗前化学除草试验中,其防效也较农民自制喷杆式喷雾机处理效果好。[结论]3WXG-300型喷杆式喷雾机经适当改进后,可用于旱田多种喷雾作业。     

不同植保机械施药对水稻病虫防治效果的研究

对自走式喷杆喷雾机、多旋翼植保飞行器、背负式机动弥雾机3种不同植保机械施药的作业效果及水稻病虫防治效果进行比较。结果表明,自走式喷杆喷雾机与植保飞行器工效远高于背负式机动弥雾机,是背负式机动弥雾机的6.7~10.0倍。且自走式喷杆喷雾机用工成本较低,每公顷24元,植保飞行器用工成本每公顷36元,是背负式机动弥雾机的1/5~1/3。多旋翼植保机飞行器喷药速度比自走式喷杆喷雾机快,但电池充电耗时较长。自走式喷杆喷雾机喷幅宽,喷雾均匀、用水量足,与多旋翼植保飞行器均适用于大面积推广,值得应用。多旋翼植保飞行器对水稻病害的防治效果较差,其用水量与病害控制效果有一定的关系,建议加大用水量或添加沉降剂使用。     

Estimating off-rate pesticide application errors resulting from agricultural sprayer turning movements

Pesticide application is an essential practice on many U.S. crop farms. Off-rate pesticide application errors may result from velocity differential across the spray boom while turning, pressure fluctuations across the spray boom, or changes in boom-to-canopy height due to undulating terrain. The sprayer path co-ordinates and the status (on or off) of each boom control section were recorded using the sprayer control console which provided map-based automatic boom section control. These data were collected for ten fields of varying shapes and sizes located in central Kentucky. In order to estimate potential errors resulting from sprayer turning movements, a method was developed to compare the differences in application areas between spray boom control sections. The area covered by the center boom control section was considered the “target rate area” and the difference in these areas and the areas covered by remaining control sections were compared to estimate application rate errors. The results of this analysis conducted with sprayer application files collected from ten fields, many containing impassable grassed waterways, indicated that a substantial portion of the fields (6.5–23.8%) could have received application in error by more than ±10% of the target rate. Off-rate application errors exceeding ±10% of the target rate for the study fields tended to increase as the average turning angles increased. The implication of this is that producers may be unintentionally applying at off-label rates in fields of varying shapes and sizes where turning movements are required.     

RTDrift: A real time model for estimating spray drift from ground applications

A spray drift model called RTDrift was developed to estimate drift caused by ground sprayer machines. The sprayer was equipped with sensors measuring operational parameters namely spray pressure, boom height and movements, and geolocalisation. Climatic parameters, including wind speed and direction, were measured using a 2-D ultrasonic anemometer mounted on the sprayer. The nozzles spray drop size spectra were characterised using Phase Doppler Interferometer measurements. At every successive boom position, a diffusion-advection Gaussian tilted plume model computed the spray drift deposits for each drop class taking into account evaporation. The contribution of a single nozzle was calculated by integration of the individual puffs with respect to time and summation of the contributions of individual drops classes. The overall drift generated by the sprayer machine was obtained adding the contributions of all the nozzles. Field trials were performed on a fallow field with water and on crops with pesticides in various wind conditions. The ground drift was measured at different drift distances using fluorometric methods. When comparing the results of the model with experimental measurements of deposits, the model produced realistic maps of drift deposits. Some further improvement is needed in the presence of large scale eddies. The model offers potential benefits for the farmer as a real time drift estimator embedded on a sprayer machine.     

Variable-rate fungicide spraying in real time by combining a plant cover sensor and a decision support system

In recent years, real-time technology has been introduced into the practice of spraying variable fungicide rates in cereal fields. Plant parameters for characterising heterogeneous plant growth such as biomass or plant surface area can be indirectly detected by the sensor CROP-Meter. The sensor signal is correlated with the Leaf Area Index, which can be used to adapt the application rate. However, this relatively simple method of controlling variable-rate fungicide application does not take into account the differences in disease distribution. In practice, decision support systems such as proPlant expert.classic can provide information about disease infection probabilities, application time, fungicide products and application rates for uniform spraying. A prototype of the system proPlant expert.precise was developed to estimate infection risks from fungal diseases using weather and field-specific data for up to three management areas with different yield expectations. The system also considers economic factors such as expected yield and costs of the fungicide products in generating a spraying map with different fungicide dosages. The information from the CROP-Meter (sensor) and from the decision support system proPlant expert.precise (map) was combined to provide a real-time spraying system with map overlay. The system was tested in 2007 in three winter wheat fields. Compared with conventional uniform spraying the CROP-Meter with map overlay treatment resulted in up to 32.6% fungicide savings (CROP-Meter versus uniform: up to 20.3%). There was no yield reduction on average when the sensor-controlled spraying technologies were used.     

3WXG-300型喷杆式喷雾机玉米苗后化学除草试验

为引进优质、高效的喷杆式喷雾机,对3WXG-300型喷杆式喷雾机与农民自制喷杆式喷雾机在喷液量及玉米苗后化学除草效果方面进行对比试验。结果表明：3WXG-300型喷杆式喷雾机苗后化学除草比农民自制喷杆式喷雾机节水51.0%,作业效率提高18.7%,防效略好。并针对其在生产实践中存在的一些问题提出相应的改进建议,以便经过...     

不同植保机械喷雾雾滴沉积分布对小麦病害的防治效果

通过比较自走式喷杆喷雾机、无人植保飞行器、背负式弥雾机3种植保机械喷雾在小麦上的农药雾滴沉积分布,分析其对小麦病害防治效果的影响。结果表明,自走式喷杆喷雾机雾滴沉积密度和雾滴覆盖率都较高,是植保飞行器的8~10倍,自走式喷杆喷雾机雾滴沉积密度为136.19~167.53个/cm~2,雾滴覆盖率为12.96%~28.13%,雾滴覆盖率上部与中部高于下部叶片。对小麦病害防治效果较好,小麦纹枯病病指防效达61.60%,赤霉病防效达71.43%,白粉病防效达78.02%。植保飞行器喷雾在小麦上、中、下部位的雾滴沉积密度分别为14.28、13.15、18.42个/cm~2,雾滴覆盖率分别为2.45%、2.08%、1.46%,植保飞行器喷雾在小麦上、中、下部雾滴分布均匀。植保飞行器喷雾对小麦病害防效较好,纹枯病病指防效达63.26%~75.20%,赤霉病病指防效达85.71%,白粉病病指防效达70.33%。背负式弥雾机喷雾在小麦上的雾滴沉积密度为81.21~147.12个/cm~2,雾滴覆盖率为7.26%~28.76%,总体表现为上部中部下部,且差异性显著。     

Evaluation of ultrasonic sensor for variable-rate spray applications

Automatic variable-rate sprayers require accurate measurement of canopy size. An estimate of canopy size is made by measuring the distance to the canopy at several elevations above the ground; an ultrasonic sensor was used to determine canopy distance in this study. It is sometimes necessary to conduct spray operations during harsh operating conditions. In this study ultrasonic sensors were subjected to simulated environmental and operating conditions to determine their durability and accuracy. Conditions tested included exposure to extended cold, outdoor temperatures, cross winds, temperature change, dust clouds, travel speeds and spray cloud effects. The root mean square (RMS) error in a series of measurements of the distance to a simulated plant canopy was used to test for significant difference among treatments. After exposure to outdoor cold conditions for 4 months, the RMS error in distance measured by the ultrasonic sensor increased from 3.31 to 3.55 cm, which was not statistically significant. Neither the presence of dust cloud nor the changes in cross-wind speeds over a range from 1.5-7.5 m/s had significant effects on the mean RMS errors. Varying sensor travel speed from 0.8 to 3.0 m/s had no significant influence on sensor detection distances. Increasing ambient temperature from 16.7 to 41.6 °C reduced the detection distance by 5.0 cm. The physical location of the spray nozzle with respect to the ultrasonic sensor had a significant effect on mean RMS errors. The mean RMS errors of sensor distance measurements ranged from 2.3 to 83.0 cm. The RMS errors could be reduced to acceptable values by proper controlling the sensor/spray nozzles spacing on a sprayer. In addition, multiple-synchronized sensors were tested for their measurement stability and accuracy (due to possible cross-talk errors) when mounted on a prototype sprayer. It was found that isolating the pathway of the ultrasonic wave of each sensor reduced detecting interference between sensors during multiple sensor operation. Test methods presented herein may be useful in the design of standardized testing protocols for field use distance sensors.     

适宜玉米化控剂喷施的植保机具选型研究

[目的]玉米抗倒伏化控剂喷施缺少适宜机具,拟通过开展植保机具选型试验,筛选适宜化控剂喷施作业的机型。[方法]采用大田试验与实验室检测相结合的方法,检测约翰迪尔4630型、3W-500型和3WBD-16型3种植保机型开展化控作业的适应性。[结果]4630型喷杆喷雾机配套防飘扇形雾喷头作业其雾滴粒径较大,雾滴沉积密度低,且多分布在下部叶片,不利于叶片吸收,化控效果较差,且植株损伤率最高;3WBD-16型背负式电动喷雾器配套圆锥雾喷头作业喷雾均匀性最低,化控作业后效果不均匀,田间整齐度低,作业成本最高;3W-500型东方红悬挂式喷杆喷雾机配套标准扇形雾喷头作业质量和作业效率优于背负式电动喷雾器,作业后化控效果显著优于约翰迪尔4630型喷杆喷雾机,且作业成本最低。[结论]3W-500型东方红悬挂式喷杆喷雾机适宜在京郊地区玉米化控作业中应用。     

烟田中使用不同喷雾器的农药沉积分布研究

[目的]比较不同喷雾器以及喷头对农药有效利用率和施药效率的影响。[方法]采用诱惑红作为农药喷雾的示踪剂,分析了4种喷雾器及喷头在田间喷雾下的雾滴大小、施药效率、叶片农药的沉积回收率和雾滴田间分布均匀性。[结果]农药的有效利用率方面表现为电动喷雾器>机动喷雾器>手动喷雾器>手动弥雾器;施药效率方面表现为机动喷雾器>电动喷雾器>手动弥雾器>手动喷雾器;农药雾滴田间分布均匀性方面表现为电动喷雾器最好,其余都较差。[结论]为新型植保器械的推广应用提供了理论依据。     

喷雾机喷杆拉力测量试验

针对某水旱两用喷杆喷雾机喷杆连接件断裂问题,开展喷雾机喷杆田间拉力测量试验.针对喷杆组件结构和受力特点,开发设计了喷杆拉力测量系统并进行静态标定.在田间设置喷雾机试验跑道,分别进行1.93、1.42、0.90 m/s 3种速度的喷杆拉力数据采集.结果表明,最大拉力随喷雾机速度的增大而增大.基于耿贝尔极值理论,对3种速度下的最大静态拉力进行推理,3种速度条件下最大拉力分别为1 000、700、500 N.对采集数据进行频谱分析,发现喷杆拉力信号主要是0～13 Hz以内的低频信号.     

Site-Specific Weed Control in Maize,Sugar Beet,Winter Wheat,and Winter Barley

A four-year study of site-specific weed control is presented in this paper. Weed seedling distribution was sampled and mapped prior to and after post-emergence herbicide application in four fields planted with maize, sugar beets, winter wheat and winter barley, rotating on one site. Herbicides and other weed control strategies were applied site-specifically according to the spatial variation of weed populations. Different decision algorithms were used for chemical weed control methods in each crop. A weed treatment map was created to direct location and dosage of herbicide application. The sprayer was coupled with a differential Global Positioning System (DGPS). The solenoid valves of the sprayer were opened automatically when the tractor entered a weed patch characterized in the weed treatment map. For site specific herbicide application, a patch sprayer was developed that allowed variable rate application and the selective control of each section of the spray boom.     

Uniformity of wheat yield and quality using sensor assisted application of nitrogen

Proximal sensing, or obtaining information from close range, is a potentially useful tool for measuring the crop nitrogen status in real-time The objective of this study was to use proximal sensing of crop canopy spectral reflectance to evaluate variable-rate application of nitrogen in terms of its effect on yield and grain quality of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The sensor used was the Hydro-Precise N-Sensor System. Yield and grain quality maps were used as a basis for full-scale field trials with winter wheat growing under four nitrogen application treatments: a large (274 kg ha^?1), recommended (167 kg ha^?1) and two sensor-assisted (167 kg ha^?1) rates. The recommended rate of 167 kg N ha^?1 was given in a three-split application that meets the present Danish regulations to reduce nitrogen leaching. These require arable farmers to decrease nitrogen fertilizer application to 90% of the economically optimal level. Each farm’s baseline is calculated to take into account land quality, land allocated to each crop, and crop rotation. In the two sensor-assisted applications the Hydro-Precise N-Sensor System directs the last two of the three-split N application. Grain samples were collected directly from the grain flow of a combine harvester and analysed for protein, water and starch content. Grain data were related to and compared with combine yield meter registrations. Within the field, the variances of protein yield (698–1208 kg ha^?1) and grain protein (9.5–13.4%) were large. The nitrogen application treatments affected the average protein content (10.5–12.3%) and grain yield (9.87–10.42 t ha^?1) strongly. The grain starch content was largest in the uniform and sensor applied systems and smallest in the high nitrogen application treatment. Applying nitrogen according to the Hydro-Precise N-Sensor System did not increase grain yield or the protein and starch contents. Minor differences only were observed in both protein content and yield between uniform-rate N application and sensor-based variable-rate N application.     

Implementation of a low-cost crop detection prototype for selective spraying in greenhouses

During phytosanitary treatments aimed at minimizing product losses, selective spraying systems can be employed. These systems consist of a group of detection–action devices which manage the spraying. In this work, the technical feasibility of a low-cost ultrasound detection system prototype has been assessed for pesticide spray application on greenhouse crops. The prototype is based on a commercially-available car parking assistance system, which has been modified to amplify the signal and activate an electro-valve for spray control. This system was fitted into a self-propelled machine with two vertical spray booms. A laboratory test was carried out to evaluate the system limitations (detection range, response time, optimal sensor location); and once the feasibility of the system was known, a field test was conducted. Inside the greenhouse, the same parameters were determined for canopy presence. The system’s capacity to start and stop spraying at the beginnings and ends of the crop lines was also analysed. In addition, the minimum crop line surface with no plant mass that triggers system activation was determined. The results show that the detection range was 0–0.4 m with an average response time of 1.67 s. Based on these parameters, the optimal sensor location was determined for the different forward velocities. In conclusion, the results show that this system is suitable for plant detection at a forward speed of 0.9 m s^?1, allowing growers to stop spraying automatically at the ends of the crop lines and where plant mass absence is greater than 1.0 lineal meter.