Location: Application Technology Research
Project Number: 5082-21620-010-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Oct 23, 2018
End Date: Jan 31, 2020
Objective:
Objective 1: Establish comprehensive ground-based strategies to increase foliar retention of pesticide spray for traditional and specialty crops produced in greenhouses and the field. Sub-objective 1.1: Determine the influence of spray parameters including droplet size, formulation physical properties, ambient air conditions, and plant surface morphology on the droplet behavior, evaporation, absorption, and residual pattern on plant surfaces. Sub-objective 1.2: Determine the influence of droplet size and velocity, travel speed, spray formulation physical properties, crop characteristics, leaf surface morphology, and leaf surface orientation on spray droplet dynamic impact, retention, rebound and coverage. Objective 2: Develop intelligent-decision spraying systems to increase spray application efficiency and reduce off-target losses. Sub-objective 2.1: Develop advanced sensor-based intelligent decision systems that can be adapted for different types of sprayers. Sub-objective 2.2: Investigate spray deposition uniformity, off-target losses and pesticide savings with intelligent-decision controlled sprayers. Sub-objective 2.3: Develop drift reduction technologies (DRT) with intelligent decision systems to aid in reducing off-target losses and enabling development of sustainable production programs. Objective 3: Develop ground-based methods for improving delivery of weed management materials to nursery containerized production systems. Sub-objective 3.1: Optimize application factors such as droplet size, spray volume and irrigation volume to improve delivery efficiency of herbicides through a nursery crop canopy to the substrate surface. Sub-objective 3.2: Determine the influence of delivery and plant parameters such as air-assistance, travel speed, irrigation volume, and canopy structure on deposition of granular materials on container substrates. Objective 4: Develop alternative delivery methods for agrochemicals and bioproducts. Sub-objective 4.1: Develop mechanical delivery devices to apply entomopathogenic nematodes. Sub-objective 4.2: Develop methods and strategies for efficiently applying pheromones.
Approach:
This project envisions that research on intelligent spray technologies, efficient applications of bio-products as alternative pesticides, and coordinated strategies can enhance pesticide application efficiency for efficacious and affordable control of insects, diseases and weeds. The research will focus on delivery systems in conjunction with spray droplet transport, fate of spray droplets upon target impact, epidemiology of pests and pathogens, pesticide formulation, and microclimatic conditions. Selective approaches to achieve the objectives will be to: (1) establish comprehensive ground-based strategies to increase pesticide retention on specialty and traditional crops in greenhouse and field environments; determine the influence of spray parameters such as droplet size, formulation physical properties, ambient air conditions, and plant surface morphology on the droplet impaction, rebound, retention, spread, evaporation, absorption, and residual pattern on plant surfaces under the conditions that individual parameters can be controlled separately; (2) innovate advanced intelligent-decision spraying systems to increase spray application efficiency; investigate spray deposition uniformity, spray drift, offtarget losses and pesticide savings for ornamental nurseries, orchards and other specialty crops with intelligent-decision controlled sprayers; develop drift reduction technologies with intelligent decision systems to aid in enabling development of sustainable production programs; (3) develop methodologies to improve herbicide applications for containerized nursery production systems; optimize application factors such as droplet size, spray volume and irrigation volume to improve delivery efficiency of herbicides through a nursery crop canopy to the substrate surface; determine the influence of delivery and plant parameters such as air-assistance, travel speed, irrigation volume, and canopy structure on deposition of granular herbicides on container substrates; (4) develop mechanical delivery devices to apply new agrochemicals and bio-products for pest control; discover innovative techniques for accurate delivery of entomopathogenic nematode infected insect larvae to effectively control soil pests; develop methods and strategies for efficiently applying pheromones by designing new dispensers with controlled evaporation rates.
