Design and Experimental Testing of an Overhead Rail Automatic Variable-Distance Targeted Spray System for Solar Greenhouses

Yahui Luo, Defan Huang, Ping Jiang, Siliang Xiang, Jianfei Liu, Minzi Xu and Yixin Shi ()
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Yahui Luo: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Defan Huang: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Ping Jiang: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Siliang Xiang: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Jianfei Liu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Minzi Xu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Yixin Shi: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: Crop cultivation in solar greenhouses is affected by issues such as low levels of automation in spraying machinery, inefficient spraying, and a lack of suitable spraying equipment for vertically cultivated crops, all of which are in urgent need of resolution. To address these problems, this paper proposes a suspended-rail automatic variable-distance targeted spray system. The rated working speed of the spray system is 0.3 m/s, and the rated working pressure is 0.3 MPa. This system achieves precise spraying of crops at varying heights by dynamically adjusting the position of the spray nozzle. To ensure accuracy in spraying, the system employs a laser ranging sensor for real-time measurement of crop positions and spraying distances. Combined with a parameter processing scheme, the system generates control signals to adjust the operation of the electric push rod and electromagnetic valve, thereby dynamically adjusting the spraying distance and timing. Using vertically cultivated potted peppers as experimental subjects, this study compares the performance of fixed- and variable-distance spraying modes. The results indicate that, compared to the fixed-distance mode, the automatic variable-distance mode increases pesticide adherence by 16.65% and reduces pesticide usage by 29.58%. The proposed suspended-rail automatic variable-distance targeted spray system offers an effective technical solution for the precise spraying of vertically cultivated crops in solar greenhouses and thus contributes to improved pesticide utilization efficiency, reduced pesticide residue, and lower environmental pollution.

Keywords: suspended-rail sprayer; targeted spraying; automatic variable distance; vertical cultivation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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