Effects of Tank-Mix Adjuvants on Spray Performance Under Downwash Airflow Fields Using an Indoor Simulated UASS Spraying Platform

The unmanned aerial spraying system (UASS) has emerged as an advanced tool in precision agriculture for applying plant protection products (PPP). The addition of tank-mix adjuvants to PPP solutions is a common practice to enhance aerial spray performance. However, the effects of these adjuvants on s...

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Main Authors: Supakorn Wongsuk, Yangfan Li, Zhaoyan Zhu, Mengran Yang, Hao Zhang, Li Zhang, Changling Wang, Xiongkui He
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Drones
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/1/6
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author Supakorn Wongsuk
Yangfan Li
Zhaoyan Zhu
Mengran Yang
Hao Zhang
Li Zhang
Changling Wang
Xiongkui He
author_facet Supakorn Wongsuk
Yangfan Li
Zhaoyan Zhu
Mengran Yang
Hao Zhang
Li Zhang
Changling Wang
Xiongkui He
author_sort Supakorn Wongsuk
collection DOAJ
description The unmanned aerial spraying system (UASS) has emerged as an advanced tool in precision agriculture for applying plant protection products (PPP). The addition of tank-mix adjuvants to PPP solutions is a common practice to enhance aerial spray performance. However, the effects of these adjuvants on spray performance under the downwash airflow fields generated by UASS rotors remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of adjuvant addition (AGE852B, AGE825, AGE809, and CCL846) on droplet size spectrum and spray deposition distribution with various rotor speeds and layouts, using an indoor simulated single-rotor/multi-rotor UASS spraying platform. The results showed that adding AGE809 and AGE825 made the droplet size and distribution much better in the flat fan nozzle LU110-015 under the downwash airflow field. The spray volume fractions made with droplets smaller than 100 µm (V<sub>100</sub>) went down by 48.15% and 21.04%, respectively. Furthermore, rotor speed was found to have a significant impact on volume median diameter, relative span, and V<sub>100</sub> (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The downwash airflow field was observed to increase the vertical droplet velocity, achieving a more uniform spray distribution in the central airflow area. These results show that choosing the right adjuvants and making the most of the operational parameters can improve spray deposition, coverage uniformity, and drift reduction. This gives us useful information for making PPP applications more efficient and effective in precision agriculture.
format Article
id doaj-art-d9273ec7c6b7455581bb7d51d33e7eab
institution Kabale University
issn 2504-446X
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Drones
spelling doaj-art-d9273ec7c6b7455581bb7d51d33e7eab2025-01-24T13:29:36ZengMDPI AGDrones2504-446X2024-12-0191610.3390/drones9010006Effects of Tank-Mix Adjuvants on Spray Performance Under Downwash Airflow Fields Using an Indoor Simulated UASS Spraying PlatformSupakorn Wongsuk0Yangfan Li1Zhaoyan Zhu2Mengran Yang3Hao Zhang4Li Zhang5Changling Wang6Xiongkui He7College of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaCollege of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaCollege of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaCollege of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaCollege of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaCollege of Information Engineering, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, ChinaCollege of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaCollege of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaThe unmanned aerial spraying system (UASS) has emerged as an advanced tool in precision agriculture for applying plant protection products (PPP). The addition of tank-mix adjuvants to PPP solutions is a common practice to enhance aerial spray performance. However, the effects of these adjuvants on spray performance under the downwash airflow fields generated by UASS rotors remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of adjuvant addition (AGE852B, AGE825, AGE809, and CCL846) on droplet size spectrum and spray deposition distribution with various rotor speeds and layouts, using an indoor simulated single-rotor/multi-rotor UASS spraying platform. The results showed that adding AGE809 and AGE825 made the droplet size and distribution much better in the flat fan nozzle LU110-015 under the downwash airflow field. The spray volume fractions made with droplets smaller than 100 µm (V<sub>100</sub>) went down by 48.15% and 21.04%, respectively. Furthermore, rotor speed was found to have a significant impact on volume median diameter, relative span, and V<sub>100</sub> (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The downwash airflow field was observed to increase the vertical droplet velocity, achieving a more uniform spray distribution in the central airflow area. These results show that choosing the right adjuvants and making the most of the operational parameters can improve spray deposition, coverage uniformity, and drift reduction. This gives us useful information for making PPP applications more efficient and effective in precision agriculture.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/1/6simulated UASSsingle-rotormulti-rotortank-mix adjuvantsspray performance
spellingShingle Supakorn Wongsuk
Yangfan Li
Zhaoyan Zhu
Mengran Yang
Hao Zhang
Li Zhang
Changling Wang
Xiongkui He
Effects of Tank-Mix Adjuvants on Spray Performance Under Downwash Airflow Fields Using an Indoor Simulated UASS Spraying Platform
Drones
simulated UASS
single-rotor
multi-rotor
tank-mix adjuvants
spray performance
title Effects of Tank-Mix Adjuvants on Spray Performance Under Downwash Airflow Fields Using an Indoor Simulated UASS Spraying Platform
title_full Effects of Tank-Mix Adjuvants on Spray Performance Under Downwash Airflow Fields Using an Indoor Simulated UASS Spraying Platform
title_fullStr Effects of Tank-Mix Adjuvants on Spray Performance Under Downwash Airflow Fields Using an Indoor Simulated UASS Spraying Platform
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Tank-Mix Adjuvants on Spray Performance Under Downwash Airflow Fields Using an Indoor Simulated UASS Spraying Platform
title_short Effects of Tank-Mix Adjuvants on Spray Performance Under Downwash Airflow Fields Using an Indoor Simulated UASS Spraying Platform
title_sort effects of tank mix adjuvants on spray performance under downwash airflow fields using an indoor simulated uass spraying platform
topic simulated UASS
single-rotor
multi-rotor
tank-mix adjuvants
spray performance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/1/6
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