PCC MarchApril Final Draft
Continued from Page 5 canopies is used to determine the presence of a plant canopy and measure the canopy height, width, foliage density and canopy foliage volume (Figure 2). The GPS navigation device (or the radar speed sensor mounted at the bottom of the sprayer) measures sprayer travel speeds and location of each plant in the field. Based on the plant canopy foliage volume and the sprayer ground speed, the amount of spray for each nozzle is determined and then discharged to different parts of each plant in real time. Each nozzle is connected to a 10 Hz pulse width modulation (PWM) solenoid valve, and the nozzle flow rates are controlled by manipulating the duty cycle of the PWM waveforms with the flow controller. The flow controller consists of microprocessors to generate flow rate commands for each nozzle to discharge variable spray rates. Field data collected and processed with the intelligent spray system are synchronized through the tablet WiFi to the cloud. The Android tablet provides the information for operators to communicate with the spray control system. The screen displays the sprayer travel speed, total discharged spray volume, spray width, and active nozzles. The operator can use the touch screen to modify the spray parameters as needed. The tablet allows the operator to activate the sprayer output on one or both sides in manual or automatic mode. All the electronic devices are powered by a 12V DC tractor battery. Another precaution includes the air filtration unit to discharge filtered air to prevent the laser sensor surface from getting dust and droplets. The toggle switches on the switch box are used to turn on/off main power, turn on/off the air filtration unit manually and override the automatic controller to activate nozzles as needed. Because sprayer travel speeds are automatically measured and included in the spray output control, applicators do not need to specify how fast they drive the tractor. However, travel speeds are not Figure 2. Laser sensor signals are used to measure canopy architecture and then manipulate individual nozzle flow rates as the function of the sectional canopy foliage volume and travel speed in real time. suggested to be higher than 5 MPH for orchard spray applications. Features in the commercial system also include tree counting, tree size, foliage density heat map comparison capability, liquid volume sprayed per plant, maps of sprayed plant locations, ability to turn nozzles on/off independently through the tablet screen, cloud sync feature, web portal for configuration settings and spray coverage report view, system log files, five different languages (English, Spanish, French, German and Italian), and options for choosing metric or imperial units. The commercial products have been used by growers in the US and other countries with crops including citrus, nursery, pecan, blueberry, peach, almond, apple and pear with pesticide usage reductions in the range between 30% to 85% depending on crop types and growth stages. John Deere also established an agreement with Smart Guided Systems to sell the commercial intelligent spray control system for use in high-value crop applications through their dealer network. The intelligent spray control system advances conventional standard pesticide application systems with the flexibility to spray specific positions on the plants. It reduces human involvement in decisions on how much spray volume is needed because the spray volume applied in the field is automatically controlled by the plant foliage volume instead of the antiquated gallons per acre. The conventional air-blast spray system has been used from generation to generation for almost 80 years because of its robustness. Growers have accumulated extensive experience on using it to control pests in accommodation with their own crops. After being retrofitted with the intelligent spray control system, the conventional sprayers are able to turn on and off each nozzle and will stop spraying non-target areas such as gaps between trees, on the ground and above trees while their capabilities of spray penetration, spray range and spray deposition quality on plants remain the same. This new generation of spray technology is anticipated to be a primary precision spray technology for future decades to save chemicals for growers and provide a sustainable and environmentally responsible approach to protecting crops. Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com 6 Progressive Crop Consultant March / April 2021
Because protection requires great precision. Protect against harmful pests while helping safeguard beneficials. Sivanto ® Prime insecticide precisely targets key damaging pests like Asian citrus psyllid, citricola scale and aphids while helping safeguard beneficial insects. In doing so, Sivanto Prime preserves the overall health of your plants and, most importantly, protects your investment. Sivanto Prime: precision that preserves and protects. Learn more at SivantoInsecticide.com. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Not all products are approved and registered in all states and may be subject to use restrictions. The distribution, sale, or use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. Check with your local product dealer or representative or U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency for the product registration status in your state. Bayer, Bayer Cross, and Sivanto ® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.BayerCropScience.us. Bayer CropScience LP, 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63167. ©2021 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.
- Page 1 and 2: March / April 2021 A Review of Pyth
- Page 3 and 4: 4 8 12 18 24 IN THIS ISSUE A New Ge
- Page 5: Figure 1. Integration of universal
- Page 9 and 10: Average Yield (lb/ac, 12% protein)
- Page 11 and 12: NDRE and leaf chlorophyll can serve
- Page 13 and 14: THE BEST WAY TO MANAGE PATHOGENS BE
- Page 15 and 16: Pythium pathogens form thick-walled
- Page 17 and 18: NAVEL ORANGEWORM MANAGEMENT discolo
- Page 19 and 20: (Left) Spotted-wing drosophila adul
- Page 21 and 22: decreased the number of larvae in f
- Page 24 and 25: New Findings on Limb Dieback of Fig
- Page 26 and 27: Figure 3. Left, pycnidia protruding
- Page 28 and 29: Figure 4. Susceptibility of various
- Page 30 and 31: Enhancing Diamondback Moth Manageme
- Page 32 and 33: Continued from Page 31 study (Figur
- Page 34 and 35: Diamondback moth larva and adult (p
- Page 36 and 37: Vegetable Growers Express Impressio
- Page 38: Continued from Page 37 Responses Re
- Page 41 and 42: References Biofertilizers Market Si
- Page 43 and 44: Go boldly into every battle. Includ
- Page 45 and 46: everything at fall pre-plant with P
- Page 47 and 48: Apply less, expect more? There’s
Because protection<br />
requires great<br />
precision.<br />
Protect against harmful pests while helping safeguard beneficials.<br />
Sivanto ® Prime insecticide precisely targets key damaging pests like Asian citrus psyllid,<br />
citricola scale and aphids while helping safeguard beneficial insects. In doing so, Sivanto<br />
Prime preserves the overall health of your plants and, most importantly, protects your<br />
investment. Sivanto Prime: precision that preserves and protects.<br />
Learn more at SivantoInsecticide.com.<br />
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS.<br />
Not all products are approved and registered in all states and may be subject to use restrictions. The distribution, sale, or use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is<br />
strictly prohibited. Check with your local product dealer or representative or U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency for the product registration status in your state. Bayer, Bayer Cross, and<br />
Sivanto ® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.BayerCropScience.us. Bayer<br />
CropScience LP, 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63167. ©2021 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.
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