Application of Self-propelled Boom Sprayers for Control of Rice Insects and Diseases

Comparisons were performed between self-propelled boom sprayer and traditional mechanis, such as knapsack sprayer and sprayer-duster, stretcher-type powered sprayer, as well as single rotor unmanned sprayer and multi-rotor un- manned sprayer. The effects on rice injury, lodging, and rehabilitation were conclud- ed and drug uniform distribution, sedimentation and prevention effects were ana- lyzed. The results showed that the self-propelled boom sprayer is characterized by high degree of automation, convenient operation, high adaptability, and high work efficiency. What＇s more, the sprayed fog quality is better, and fog distribution is more uniform. During the work process, fog loss would be diminished substantially, improving work efficiency and cutting down drug and water. It is notable that the underpart of the sprayer can be widely applied to plant protection in large-scale ar- eas in Jiangsu Province, significantly advancing whole-process mechanization of rice production.

Detection system of smart sprayers: Status, challenges, and perspectives

A smart sprayer comprises a detection system and a chemical spraying system.In this study,the development status and challenges of the detection systems of smart sprayers are discussed along with perspectives on these technologies.The detection system of a smart sprayer is used to collect information on target areas and make spraying decisions.The spraying system controls sprayer operation.Various sensing technologies,such as machine vision,spectral analysis,and remote sensing,are used in target detection.In image processing,morphological features are employed to segment characteristics such as shape,structure,color,and pattern.In spectral analysis,the characteristics of reflectance and multispectral images are applied in crop detection.For the remote sensing application,vegetation indices and hyperspectral images are used to provide information on crop management.Other sensors,such as thermography,ultrasonic,laser,and X-ray sensors,are also used in the detection system and mentioned in the review.On the basis of this review,challenges and perspectives are suggested.The findings of this study may aid the understanding of smart sprayer systems and provide feasible methods for improving efficiency in chemical applications.

CFD simulation and experiment on the flow field of air-assisted ultra-low-volume sprayers in facilities

In order to explore the performance of the B-ULV-616A knapsack sprayer,computational fluid dynamics(CFD)was used to simulate the B-ULV-616A knapsack air-assisted device,which features an ultra-low-volume electric sprayer.Field experiments were carried out to test the spraying effects,and the KANOMAX anemometer was used to verify the simulated results.First,the internal and external flow fields and droplet deposition distribution of the ultra-low-volume sprayer were established.The results showed that the air-assisted spray device can change the airflow speed and direction and produce a high-speed swirling airflow at the outlet of the air-assisted spray device.The high-speed airflow(maximum of 83.5 m/s)generates negative pressure(minimum of 0.099 MPa)and causes a rapid increase in the droplet velocity and a secondary droplets spray,allowing droplets to reach a longer distance.Then,the maximum relative error was 20.14%,and its average value was 9.59%,indicating that the CFD method is suitable for the flow field analysis of the air-assisted spray device.Finally,based on the greenhouse experiment,the knapsack air-assisted ultra-low-volume electric sprayer was found to effectively improve the deposition on the rear of the crop,increase the droplet density(maximum of 81/cm2;droplet density of conventional electric sprayer is 64/cm2),and reduce the deposition amount and coefficient of variation(below 20%)within and between regions.Further,it managed to reduce pesticide use(by 69.85%)and rural non-point source pollution.

Development of sensor system for real-time measurement of droplet deposition of agricultural sprayers

During the chemical application process,droplet deposition on a target is an important reference indicator for evaluating the spraying technique and its performance.In order to quickly obtain deposition results in the field,this study proposed a novel system based on surface humidity sensors.The basic principle is to convert the measured physical quantity change into a capacitance change,thereby realizing the physical quantity to electrical signal conversion.An Android application for mobile terminal and the corresponding coordinator were developed,which allowed operators to control multiple sensors simultaneously through the Bluetooth.The soluble tracer detected by spectrophotometer was used to calibrate the system.The obtained results indicated a good correlation between deposition volume and voltage increment output from the newly developed system(R2 of the six nozzles with Dv0.5 ranging from 107.28μm to 396.20μm were 0.8674-0.9729),and a power regression model based on the least squares technique(R2=0.8022)was developed.In the field test,the system exhibited an optimal performance in predicting the deposition volume.Compared with the conventional method of measuring tracer concentration,the deviation was less than 10%.In addition,the system exhibited good fitting curve of the deposition distribution with droplet number results measured by the water sensitive paper method.

Design and test of the anti-skid system for self-propelled high-stem crop sprayers

Aiming at the problem of skidding in the operation of a self-propelled high-stem crop sprayer due to uneven road surface and uneven distribution of soil cohesive force,This study proposed a four-wheel drive hydraulic anti-skid control system based on RTM valve.Through theoretical analysis of control components such as the RTM valve and steering cylinder,the control model of the anti-skid drive system of the spray machine is established,and the simulation test is carried out in Matlab/Simulink.The simulation results show that the slip rate of the anti-skid drive system based on the PID control strategy is controlled below 0.05,and the RTM valve keeps the driving pressure of the system basically stable.In order to verify the reliability of the simulation results,the designed drive anti-skid control system was carried out on a spray machine for the field test.The experimental results show that the slip rate of the drive anti-skid system decreases from 86.7%to 1.25%when the anti-skid function is turned on,indicating that the designed drive anti-skid system has good anti-skid performance.

Design and Test of Closed Hydraulic Transmission System of 4WD High-clearance Wheeled Sprayer

In conjunction with the working characteristics of the high-clearance wheeled sprayer and the benefits of the closed hydraulic system,a series of reasonable working parameters should be established,and a hydraulic system that fulfills the requisite specifications should be designed.The AMESim software model is employed to construct a closed hydraulic transmission system,and the simulation analysis is then performed according to the data of hydraulic components.According to analysis results,the prototype can be optimized and upgraded,and a verification test is further carried out.The test results demonstrate that the designed closed hydraulic transmission system meets the actual working requirements of the high-clearance wheeled sprayer and provides a stable experimental platform for intelligent control of agricultural machinery.

Development and Application Prospects of Pneumatic Electrostatic Sprayer in Orchard

We firstly introduce existing situations of development of electrostatic spraying technology both at home and abroad. On the basis of such problems as serious drift, loss and deterioration of environment during orchard spraying in Xinjiang, we design and develop a new electrostatic sprayer which can effectively reduce the pesticide, improve the adhesion rate of pesticide in the target, and reduce pollution on human body and environment. Using electrostatic induction principle, this electrostatic sprayer directly sprays charged droplet onto target in the action of electrostatic force and high speed air flow. Besides, this sprayer has outstanding economic and social benefits. For farmers, it can raise the utilization ratio of pesticide to 60%, reduce the pesticide loss by 50%, and reduce prevention cost for 10% to 20%; for enterprises, this investment project has a trial profit-tax rate up to 21.4%; the entire sprayer only needs one person to operate; it is highly efficient and low pollution, conforming to national environmental protection and policy concerning agriculture, farmers and countryside. Therefore, this new pneumatic electrostatic sprayer in orchard will have bright popularization and application prospect.

Analysis and Simulation of Kinematical Performances of Two Kinds of Parallel Mechanisms Based on the Plane Sprayer

Two kinds of 2-dof parallel mechanisms are proposed in this paper which can be used as the actuator for the plane sprayer. The direct and inverse kinematics solutions of the two kinds of mechanisms are derived on the end operating point and two workspaces are analyzed and compared. The kinematics models of the end operating point of two mechanisms are simulated by Matlab examples obtaining variation of kinematics parameters of these two mechanisms. The research of this paper provides the basis for the selection of mechanism, trajectory planning of the end operating point on the sprayer and often some practical value for trajectory analysis and structure design of the plane sprayer.

Contrast Test of Precision Electric Mist Duster and Electric Sprayer

[Objectives]The paper was to compare and verify the operation performance of precision electric mist duster and electric sprayer,and to select the optimum plant protection equipment suitable for greenhouse application.[Methods]Agents were sprayed by precision electric mist duster and electric sprayer to control tomato downy mildew in greenhouse,and the control effect and pesticide utilization rate were compared.[Results]Compared with electric sprayer,precision electric mist duster improved the pesticide utilization rate by 31.7%,improved the spray efficiency by 20 times,and increased the control effect by 13.2%.[Conclusions]The study provides technical support for the popularization and application of precision electric mist duster in greenhouse and other facilities cultivation.

Evaluation on Application and Spraying Effect of Air-Assisted Sprayer in Apple Orchard with Dwarfing Rootstocks

The application and spraying effect of 3 WG-1200 A air-assisted sprayer in dwarfing rootstock apple orchard were evaluated by investigating the droplet density, coverage and volume median diameter(VMD) in different canopy layers(2.0, 1.5, 1.0 m) and five directions(east, south, west, north and middle) of apple trees. The results showed that the droplet density was 166.99 per square centimeter, the coverage was 48.23%, and the VMD was 138.63 μm. The droplet density in different canopy layers of the trees had consistent trend with the coverage. The droplet density and coverage in the upper and middle canopy(2.0 m and 1.5 m) had no significant difference, but they were both higher than those in the lower canopy, while the VMD in different canopy layers showed an opposite trend. The change trends of the coverage and VMD in the five directions were consistent, and the values in the middle and east were the highest, followed by the north, south and west, respectively. The results indicated that droplet characteristics of the 3 WG-1200 A air-assisted sprayer met the basic requirements for pest and pathogen control. This study provides a theoretical basis and data support for the application and improvement of orchard application equipments in dwarfing rootstock apple orchard.

Operations of Knapsack Sprayer and Its Impacts on Physiological Parameters of Selected Operators

The study was aimed at determining the impacts of operating Manually Operated Hand Lever Knapsack Sprayers (MOHLKS) on physiological responses of the operators as dependent on anthropometric variations and sex. Twenty eight subjects, (4 female, 24 male) Mean ± SD: Age 22.5 ± 1.92, 24.29 ± 2.2 years;Body Mass Index 24.6 ± 4.8, 21.7 ± 2.4 kg/m2 were employed in the study. Selected anthropometric parameters of weight and height were used to determine body mass index (BMI), with these are arm-reach forward, elbow to fingertip, hand length and hand width were measured to establish human variations in diversity. Subjects undertook the operation at 5 replicates each, before and after which information about operators’ body pain locations and body physiological changes of heart rates were obtained. Measured parameters were used in the determination of expended energy (EE), physiological cost (PC), oxygen intake (VO2) and aerobic power (VO2max). Alongside with these were operational parameters of stroke, pace and time taken to get the operation done and environmental factors of temperature and relative humidity. The results revealed on the average that the BMI (24.61 ± 4.78 kg/m2) in female operators was higher, this corresponded to PC and VO2, while the VO2max (34.83 ± 3.30 ml/min/kg) in males is higher. More EE was obtained in female subjects (3.53 ± 3.76 kCal/min) as compared to male subjects (3.42 ± 7.48 kCal/min). The main effects plot of operational factors on EE displayed the stroke made by the subjects during spraying operation as parameter with largest effect on EE. Regression equation for EE and PCI is given as PCI = 1.97 + 25.2 EE, while the P-value at α = 0.05 is 0.000 and R2 = 98.8%. Post operational body pain showed that 19 out of 28 subjects incurred at least one type of body pain, with shoulder pain as most frequent. The results of the study suggest that early incidence of fatigue may occur in female operators as compared to the males, and in addition, cumulative trauma at shoulder, back, and upper and lower arm may result over time. Hence, it is recommended that the tank volume should be reduced and the straps for the shoulders should be supported with additional cushion.

Design and Evaluation of a User Interface for an Autonomous Agricultural Sprayer

This paper describes the design and evaluation of a user interface for a remotely supervised autonomous agricultural sprayer. The interface was designed to help the remote supervisor to instruct the autonomous sprayer to commence operation, monitor the status of the sprayer and its operation in the field, and intervene when needed (i.e., to stop or shut down). Design principles and guidelines were carefully selected to help develop a human-centered automation interface. Evaluation of the interface using a combination of heuristic, cognitive walkthrough, and user testing techniques revealed several strengths of the design as well as areas that needed further improvement. Overall, this paper provides guidelines that will assist other researchers to develop an ergonomic user interface for a fully autonomous agricultural machine.

Packing Container Sprayer

Sprayers produced by the Zhuhai Huaxun Precision Chemicals Co. Ltd. Chinese-foreign joint venture are mainly used as packing containers for perfume, hair sprays, bathing shampoo. different kinds of freshener, deodorant, insecticides, etc. Our products are made with imported equipment, imported model plates, imported raw materials. They are sophisticated in design, and can match the world’s advanced level of the 1990s in integral function. After scientific and technical appraisal by the Light Industry Bureau

Design and performance test of a novel UAV air-assisted electrostatic centrifugal spraying system

In order to improve the deposition and uniformity of the pesticide sprayed by the agricultural spraying drone,this study designed a novel spraying system,combining air-assisted spraying system with electrostatic technology.First,an air-assisted electrostatic centrifugal spray system was designed for agricultural spraying drones,including a shell,a diversion shell,and an electrostatic ring.Then,experiments were conducted to optimize the setting of the main parameters that affect the charge-to-mass ratio,and outdoor spraying experiments were carried out on the spraying effect of the air-assisted electrostatic centrifugal spray system.The results showed the optimum parameters were that the centrifugal rotation speed was 10000 r/min,the spray pressure was 0.3 MPa,the fan rotation speed was 14000 r/min,and the electrostatic generator voltage was 9 kV;The optimum charge-to-mass ratio of the spray system was 2.59 mC/kg.The average deposition density of droplets on the collecting platform was 366.1 particles/cm^(2) on the upper layer,345.1 particles/cm^(2) on the middle layer,and 322.5 particles/cm^(2) on the lower layer.Compared to the results of uncharged droplets on the upper,middle,and lower layers,the average deposition density was increased by 34.9%,30.4%,and 30.2%,respectively,and the uniformity of the distribution of the droplets at different collection points was better.

Comparison of aerial and ground spraying applications in controlling fusarium crown rot in wheat

Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is a chronic disease in many regions of the world in wheat, caused by Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium pseudograminearum, and Fusarium graminearum. The operational efficacy of pesticide applications using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) significantly affects the biological efficacy of the pesticides. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicle and field sprayer applications in controlling crown rot diseases frequently observed in wheat crops in the Thrace region, Turkey. A licensed fungicide containing the active ingredients, prochloraz plus trifloxystrobin plus cyproconazole mixture was applied to wheat during the ZGS 27 growth stage. The disease severity, disease incidence, and the effectiveness of fungicide treatment on disease severity (%) were evaluated for F. culmorum crown rot disease. The results showed that the severity of the disease during the seedling stage was 11.25% and 18.33% for unmanned aerial vehicle and field sprayer applications, respectively. In the harvest stage, the incidence of disease was 28.33%-39.99% and 48.75%-51.25%, respectively, and the effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicle application was found to be high, approximately 52%, during the seedling and harvest stages. The unmanned aerial vehicle, acting similarly to the field sprayer, exhibited higher grain quality under conditions of stress from disease. Furthermore, spike weight, grain weight, and number of grains exhibited stronger positive correlations compared to unmanned aerial vehicle treatment. Therefore, unmanned aerial vehicles have promising potential as viable options to manage FCR when the prevailing environmental conditions are not conducive to the use of field sprayer. The results of this research will guide future studies to investigate the efficacy of UAVs on a wider range of pesticides and to further develop the technology to investigate its effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability in agricultural applications.

Optimization design of the hydro-pneumatic suspension system for high clearance self-propelled sprayer using improved MOPSO algorithm

Large high clearance self-propelled sprayers were widely used in field plant protection due to their high-efficiency operation capabilities.Influenced by the characteristics of field operations such as high power,heavy weight,high ground clearance,and fast operation speed,the comprehensive requirements for the ride comfort,handling stability and road friendliness of the sprayer were increasingly strong.At the present stage,the chassis structure of the high clearance selfpropelled sprayer that attaches great importance to the improvement of comprehensive performance still has the problems of severe bumps,weak handling performance and serious road damage in complex field environments.Therefore,this paper proposes an optimization design method for hydro-pneumatic suspension system of a high clearance self-propelled sprayer based on the improved MOPSO(Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization)algorithm,covering the entire process of configuration design,parameter intelligent optimization,and system verification of the high clearance self-propelled sprayer chassis.Specifically,chassis structure of the hydro-pneumatic suspension suitable for the high clearance self-propelled sprayer was designed,and a design method combining the improved MOPSO algorithm based on time-varying fusion strategy and adaptive update with the parameter optimization of hydro-pneumatic suspension based on this algorithm was proposed,and finally the software simulation and bench performance verification were carried out.The results show that the optimized hydropneumatic suspension has excellent vibration reduction effect,and the body acceleration,suspension dynamic deflection and tire deflection were increased by 16.5%,9.9%and 0.9%respectively,compared with those before optimization.The comprehensive performance of the hydro-pneumatic suspension designed in this study is better than that of the traditional suspension.

Influences of the tank liquid lateral sloshing and mass time-varying on high clearance self-propelled sprayer ride comfort

To explore the influence of the lateral sloshing and the time-varying mass of the liquid in the tank on the ride comfort of the high-clearance sprayer,a spring-mass-damping equivalent mechanics that can describe the lateral sloshing of the liquid under different filling ratios was constructed based on the equivalent criterion.The Fluent was used to simulate the moment acting on the wall of the tank by the lateral sloshing of the liquid,and then the parameters of the equivalent mechanical model are obtained by fitting and solving.Comparative analysis of Fluent simulation and bench test on lateral sloshing of tank liquid under different filling ratios.The results show that the lateral sloshing trend of the tank liquid level obtained from the Fluent simulation and the bench test was consistent,which proved the accuracy of the Fluent fluid simulation process and the correctness of the required equivalent mechanical model parameters.Incorporating a liquid sloshing equivalent model,a four-degree-of-freedom vertical dynamic model of the sprayer half-car was established.Subsequently,the performance of the sprayer was systematically analyzed and compared under the excitation of a bump road and a random E-level road.This investigation took into account varying liquid filling ratios of 10%,50%,and 90%.The focus lay on evaluating the vertical acceleration of the sprayer body,dynamic deflection of the suspension,and dynamic load on the tires in response to these road conditions.This analysis is conducted independently of the liquid sloshing factor.The results show that the lateral sloshing of the liquid medicine significantly reduces the ride smoothness of the machine,and makes the vibration response of the machine produce a certain hysteresis effect.With the reduction of the quality of the liquid medicine in the spray tank,the vibration amplitude of the sprayer body gradually decreases,the hysteresis effect is also gradually weakened.The results presented in this study offer a theoretical foundation for the analysis of ride comfort and the optimization of chassis structure in high-clearance sprayers.

Effects of fan speed on spray deposition and drift for targeting air-assisted sprayer in pear orchard

In order to reduce the application dosage of pesticides,a targeting air-assisted(TAA)sprayer was developed and tested in this study.Fruit trees were assayed by an infrared detection system to determine if the canopy needs to be sprayed.This TAA sprayer was compared with conventional air-assisted(CAA)sprayers,and the impacts of various fan speeds(0,800 r/min,1300 r/min,and 1800 r/min)on spray deposition,coverage,and drift amount were tested.Ponceau 2R was used as tracer to measure spray deposition under each treatment.Droplet coverage and canopy deposition were best when the CAA application fan speed was increased to 1300 r/min,but at higher fan speeds,spray deposition and coverage in canopy did not increase because extra air flow blew droplets from the ground into the air.During TAA spraying,droplet sizes increased at opening and closing moments.Optimal spray effects were achieved when the auxiliary airflow velocity was increased at a fan speed of 1800 r/min.The research provides a useful reference for the design of TAA and parameters optimization method with respect to the relationship between droplets deposition into tree canopy,ground and drift in the air.

Precision orchard sprayer based on automatically infrared target detecting and electrostatic spraying techniques

There is an urgent need for new chemical application techniques and sprayers in Chinese orchard spraying.A new tractor-mounted automatic target detecting electrostatics,and air-assisted orchard sprayer was designed and developed to meet the demand of chemical pest control in orchards.This sprayer light weighted,highly efficient,reduces pesticide use and is friendly to the environment.The techniques of automatic target detecting,electrostatics,and air-assisted spraying were combined in this system.The electrostatically charged droplets are projected toward the target by the assistance of an air stream that increases the droplets penetration within canopy.Experimental results show that the new automatic target detecting orchard sprayer with an infrared sensor can save more than 50%to 75%of pesticides,improve the utilization rate(over 55%),control efficiency,and significantly reduce environmental pollution caused by the pesticide application.At the same time the key technological problems related to air-assisted low volume and electrostatic spraying were solved.

Design and experiment of variable rate orchard sprayer based on laser scanning sensor

During different growth periods,canopy size and density in orchards are variable,which need application conditions(flow rate and air flow)to be adjusted to match the canopy’s characteristics.In order to improve orchard sprayer’s automatic operating performance,an automatic variable-rate orchard sprayer(VARS)fixed with 40 electromagnetic valves and 8 brushless fans was developed based on the canopy’s spatial dimensions.Each solenoid valve and brushless motor can be individually adjusted in real-time through pulse width modulation(PWM)signals emitted by a control system to adjust each nozzle’s spout and fan rotation speed.A high-precision laser scanning sensor(light detecting and ranging,LIDAR)was adopted as the detector to measure the canopy volume using the variable rate algorithm principle.Field experiments were conducted in an apple orchard,and conventional air blast sprayer(CABS)and directed air-jet sprayer(DAJS)were tested as a comparison.Results showed that on average,46%less spraying solution was applied compared to conventional applications,while penetration rate was similar to DAJS.Normalized deposition in the canopy with variable application was higher than that of conventional applications,indicating that electronic sprayers are more efficient than conventional sprayers.It was also observed that VARS could significantly reduce off-target loss.The field experiment showed that the newly developed variable-rate sprayer can greatly reduce pesticide use and protect the environment for the orchard fruit production,and also provide a reference for design and performance optimization for plant protection machinery.