Development and Evaluation of a Prototype Self-Propelled Crop Sprayer for Agricultural Sustainability in Small Farms

Abdul Ghafoor, Fraz Ahmad Khan, Farzaneh Khorsandi, Muhammad Azam Khan, Hafiz Muhammad Nauman and Muhammad Usman Farid
Additional contact information
Abdul Ghafoor: Department of Farm Machinery and Power, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Fraz Ahmad Khan: Department of Farm Machinery and Power, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Farzaneh Khorsandi: Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Muhammad Azam Khan: Department of Farm Machinery and Power, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Hafiz Muhammad Nauman: Department of Farm Machinery and Power, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Usman Farid: Department of Structures & Environmental Engineering, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-22

Abstract: In most Asian countries, farmers have smallholdings ranging from one to two hectares. The tractor-mounted boom sprayers cannot practically be used in small size farms with divided plots and complex terrain. To cope with these issues, a prototype self-propelled crop sprayer was developed, including a 20-hp engine, 300 L liquid tank, and hydraulically-controlled spray boom with eight hollow cone nozzles. The spray symmetry of the hollow cone nozzle was evaluated under four pressures (2.5, 3, 3.5, and 4 bar) in the laboratory. The operating parameters of the sprayer, such as forward speed (4, 6, and 8 km h −1 ), spray height (40, 55, and 70 cm), and pressure (3, 5, and 7 bar) were optimized by measuring three spray characteristics including droplet density, coverage percentage, and Volume Median Diameter (VMD) in the cotton field. The results revealed that the nozzle spray was symmetrical at 2.5 and 3 bar pressure as the R 2 value was higher than 0.96. The field test result showed that in all treatments, treatments T14 (6 km h −1 , 55 cm, 5 bar) and T22 (8 km h −1 , 55 cm, 3 bar) were suitable for spraying medium-to-low concentration solution (post-emergence herbicides and fungicides) and high concentration solution (insecticides and pre-emergence herbicides), respectively. The spray characteristics at treatments T14 and T22 were 64.7 droplets cm −2 , 26.7%, 230 µm, and 39 droplets cm −2 , 14.9%, and 219.8 µm respectively. The field efficiency of the sprayer was 61%. The spraying cost per unit area was 55–64% less compared to manual labor cost. In conclusion, a prototype self-propelled crop sprayer is an efficient and environment-friendly technology for small farms. Operating the sprayer at the optimal parameters also saves operational costs and time.

Keywords: self-propelled sprayer; spray characteristics; field efficiency; spraying cost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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