AIR-ASSISTED ELECTROSTATIC APPLICATION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY- SAFE PESTICIDES

IN CURRENT AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING, LESS THAN 20% OF PESTICIDEREACHES THE INTENDED PLANT; MOST DRIFTS OR DEPOSITS ON THE SOIL, RESULTING IN ECONOMIC LOSS AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD. SPRAY REACHING PLANTS IS OFTEN WASTED BECAUSE OF POOR PLACEMENT OF DROPLETS. EXCESS PESTICIDE DEPOSITS ARE PLACEDON UPPER LEAF SURFACES, AND LOWER CANOPY REGIONS RECEIVE INSUFFICIENT DOSAGES. LESS THAN 1% OF APPLIED SPRAY CONTACTS PEST ORGANISMS ON UNDERLEAF SURFACES. VARIOUS TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTALLY-SAFE PESTICIDES ARE EMERGING AS POTENTIAL SUBSTITUTES FOR PRESENTLY-USED SYNTHETIC COMPOUNDS. THESE NEW MATERIALS, HOWEVER, ARE WEAK PESTICIDES AND MUST BE PLACED ON UNDERLEAF SURFACES FOR BENEFICIAL EFFECT. IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE ECONOMIC BENEFIT THRESHOLDS WITH ENVIRONMENTALLY-SAFE ALTERNATIVES, PRESENT APPLICATION METHODS MUST BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF UTILIZING AIR-ASSISTED ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE SPRAY EFFICIENCY AND THE UNDERLEAF PLACEMENT OF DROPLETS. STUDIES WILL DETERMINE CHARGEABILITY OF VARIOUS LOW-TOXICITYCOMPOUNDS, AIR-VELOCITY AND TURBULENCE WITHIN PLANT CANOPIESDURING PASSAGES OF AIR-ASSISTED SPRAY, MASS-TRANSFER AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SPRAY ON FOLIAGE, AND INSECT CONTROLEFFICACY OF AIR-ASSISTED CHARGED SPRAYS COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL SPRAYS.