Modern Technology for Aerial Application of Agrochemicals1

Most pesticides and fertilizers are applied by aerial techniques in the agricultural farms of Hungary. The importance of the work done by plane or helicopter is characterized by the following data: in regions having many planes more than 50% of the plant protection activity is carried out by aerial application. Another characteristic feature of Hungarian agricultural aviation is the fact that almost 35% of the total spraying involves the application of herbicides, defoliants and desiccants. Large-scale use of formulations dangerous for the environment has made it necessary to take some important measures, such as directed spraying, regulation of drop sizes etc. With the development of these methods and the transformation of spraying equipment it became possible to carry out spraying under optimal biological conditions. Nowadays aircraft are used in at least one production process for crops such as cereals, rice, maize, sunflower, sugar beet, potato and vegetables and vines (chemical weed control, spraying for the control of fungi or insects, desiccation). Finally it should be mentioned that all equipment is mounted with the membrane-lock nozzles developed by the Aviation Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to meet the requirements of modern technology. A very promising part of this activity is the development of rotating nozzles for helicopters (electrically driven) and for planes (wind driven).