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Agronomy
Volume 14
Issue 9
10.3390/agronomy14091883
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

On-Target Deposition from Two Engine-Powered Sprayers in Medium-Foliage-Density Citrus Canopies

by
Peter Ako Larbi
1,2
1
Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Parlier, CA 93648, USA
2
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Agronomy 2024, 14(9), 1883; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091883 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 27 May 2024 / Revised: 18 August 2024 / Accepted: 21 August 2024 / Published: 23 August 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Horticultural and Floricultural Crops)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Spray penetration into citrus canopies is critical for adequate coverage and deposition to ensure effective pest control. However, mismatch of air assistance to target canopy characteristics can lead to unintended spraying losses through overpenetration. To evaluate the effect of air assistance on on-target deposition, two sprayers (surrogates for airflow rates) were used to apply a fluorescent tracer dye solution @ a target concentration of 300 ppm to 16 medium-foliage-density tree blocks in a commercial mandarin orchard. The complete factorial experiment in three replications, also designed for validating a model-based spray decision support tool, comprised two forward travel speeds (1.6 and 4.8 km/h), two disc-core nozzles (TeeJet® D3-25 and D6-45), and either one or two nozzle rows to obtain a wide range of application rates (496 to 9719 L/ha). Dye deposition significantly decreased with canopy depth (p =< 0.001) by nearly seven times across the 3.4 m wide canopies but was not significant over 1.2 to 2.2 m sampling height (p = 0.867). Deposition obtained with the low-airflow-rate sprayer was significantly greater (p =< 0.001) than that obtained with the high-airflow-rate sprayer over the dose range likely due to too much air pushing out spray droplets. This study underscores the importance of matching the air assistance of orchard sprayers to the target canopy.
Keywords: air assistance; airblast sprayer; application rate; fluorometry; spray penetration air assistance; airblast sprayer; application rate; fluorometry; spray penetration

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MDPI and ACS Style

Larbi, P.A. On-Target Deposition from Two Engine-Powered Sprayers in Medium-Foliage-Density Citrus Canopies. Agronomy 2024, 14, 1883. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091883

AMA Style

Larbi PA. On-Target Deposition from Two Engine-Powered Sprayers in Medium-Foliage-Density Citrus Canopies. Agronomy. 2024; 14(9):1883. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091883

Chicago/Turabian Style

Larbi, Peter Ako. 2024. "On-Target Deposition from Two Engine-Powered Sprayers in Medium-Foliage-Density Citrus Canopies" Agronomy 14, no. 9: 1883. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091883

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