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Optimizing the Impact of Spray Characteristics of Hybrid Drone on Spray Deposition in Cotton Crops


Affiliations
1 Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, India
2 Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Kumulur 621 712, India
3 Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, India

The effectiveness of a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for optimizing crop booster application on cotton crops (variety Co-14) at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is evaluated in this research. The hybrid UAV, featuring a 12-litre sprayer tank and powered by an internal combustion engine and brushless direct current motor, was tested at heights of 1 and 2 m and speeds of 3 and 4 m s–1. The objective was to determine optimal parameters for maximizing droplet deposition and minimizing spray drift. The results indicated that at 1 m and 3 m s–1, the droplet density in the target area was 148 ± 8 drops/cm2, compared to 136 ± 4 drops/cm2 at 2 m. The volume median diameter at 1 m and 3 m s–1 was 361 mm, and the number median diameter was 392 mm, showing higher deposition and uniform droplet sizes at lower heights and lower speeds. Spray drift analysis indicated reduced off-target movement at 1 m and 3 m s–1, showing a non-target droplet density of 54 ± 4 drops/cm2 compared to 42 ± 6 drops/cm2 at 2 m. The study concludes that the optimal UAV operation parameters are 1 m height and 3 m s–1 speed, enhancing droplet deposition, minimizing drift, and improving spray efficiency.

Keywords

Droplet deposition density, operational parameters, spray drift analysis, UAV spraying technology, UAV system.
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  • Optimizing the Impact of Spray Characteristics of Hybrid Drone on Spray Deposition in Cotton Crops

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Authors

P. Rajesh
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, India
A. P. Mohankumar
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, India
R. Kavitha
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, India
B. Suthakar
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Kumulur 621 712, India
K. Ganesan
Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, India

Abstract


The effectiveness of a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for optimizing crop booster application on cotton crops (variety Co-14) at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is evaluated in this research. The hybrid UAV, featuring a 12-litre sprayer tank and powered by an internal combustion engine and brushless direct current motor, was tested at heights of 1 and 2 m and speeds of 3 and 4 m s–1. The objective was to determine optimal parameters for maximizing droplet deposition and minimizing spray drift. The results indicated that at 1 m and 3 m s–1, the droplet density in the target area was 148 ± 8 drops/cm2, compared to 136 ± 4 drops/cm2 at 2 m. The volume median diameter at 1 m and 3 m s–1 was 361 mm, and the number median diameter was 392 mm, showing higher deposition and uniform droplet sizes at lower heights and lower speeds. Spray drift analysis indicated reduced off-target movement at 1 m and 3 m s–1, showing a non-target droplet density of 54 ± 4 drops/cm2 compared to 42 ± 6 drops/cm2 at 2 m. The study concludes that the optimal UAV operation parameters are 1 m height and 3 m s–1 speed, enhancing droplet deposition, minimizing drift, and improving spray efficiency.

Keywords


Droplet deposition density, operational parameters, spray drift analysis, UAV spraying technology, UAV system.



DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv127%2Fi3%2F297-306