Determination of Distribution Uniformity in Air-assisted Orchard Sprayers Under Different Operating Parameters
Abstract
Agricultural spraying differs from other agricultural practices in terms of its potential to cause harm to human health and the environment, as well as its significant impact on crop yield and quality. When performed without sufficient knowledge, it can also increase production costs. The effectiveness of agricultural spraying also varies depending on many factors. In this study, a low-cost vertical patternator was constructed. Then, spraying experiments were conducted using an air-assisted hydraulic orchard sprayer under different operating parameters (2, 2.5, and 3 m spray distance, 0, 1900, and 2400 min-1 fan speed, 35 and 45 bar operating pressure), and the distribution uniformity was determined. As a result of the tests, the total spray recovery from the sprayer ranged from 28.36% (3 m, 2400 rpm, 35 bar) to 53.50% (2 m, 0 rpm, 35 bar). The average liquid quantities collected from the patternator surfaces at different heights ranged between 10.01% (top surface) and 18.05% (bottom surface). The lowest CV (coefficient of variation) value for distribution uniformity was 15.8% (2 m, 2400 min-1, 35 bar), while the highest CV value was 47.4% (3 m, 0 min-1, 35 bar). It was determined that high fan speed reduces the spray recovery, in other words, it increases the drift rate due to the structural effect of the patternator, but also improves distribution uniformity, particularly as spray distance increases.
Keywords
Spraying distance, Operating pressure, Fan speed, Spraying efficiency, Vertical patternator
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