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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Technical Advances in Plant Science
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1504608
This article is part of the Research Topic UAVs for Crop Protection: Remote Sensing, Prescription Mapping and Precision Spraying View all 9 articles

Droplet Distribution and Mitigation of Occupational Exposure Risk in Eucalyptus Sprout Eradication Using a Remotely Piloted Aircraft

Provisionally accepted
Luis Felipe Oliveira Ribeiro Luis Felipe Oliveira Ribeiro 1,2*Edney Leandro da Vitória Edney Leandro da Vitória 1Halisson Pereira Bastos Halisson Pereira Bastos 2Jacimar Vieira Zanelato Jacimar Vieira Zanelato 2José de Assis Martins Júnior José de Assis Martins Júnior 2Alexandre De Vicente Ferraz Alexandre De Vicente Ferraz 3Thales Gomes dos Santos Thales Gomes dos Santos 1Francisco de Assis Ferreira Francisco de Assis Ferreira 1João Victor Oliveira Ribeiro João Victor Oliveira Ribeiro 1Samuel de Assis Silva Samuel de Assis Silva 4Pengchao Chen Pengchao Chen 5
  • 1 Department of Agricultural and Biological Sciences (DCAB), Federal University of Espirito Santo, São Mateus, Brazil
  • 2 Emflora Forestry Services and Enterprises, Remote Aeroagricultural Departmen, São Mateus, Brazil
  • 3 Forestry Science and Research Institut (IPEF), Piracicaba, Brazil
  • 4 Department of Rural Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Alegre, Brazil
  • 5 National Center for International Collaboration Research on Precision Agricultural Aviation Pesticides Spraying Technology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The use of remotely piloted aircrafts (RPAs) for foliar application of pesticides and fertilizers has increased worldwide in several agricultural crops. However, there is little information on the efficiency and factors connected to application and spraying quality of RPAs in forestry, mainly for eradication of eucalyptus sprouts. The objective of this work was to evaluate droplet distribution and deposition on eucalyptus sprouts and the risk of exposure for applicators using an RPA (DJI AGRAS T40) at different theoretical application ranges (7.0, 9.0, and 11.0 m) and droplet sizes (150, 300, and 450µm) compared to a manual electric backpack sprayer (MEBS). The spray solution was composed of water, brilliant blue dye, and adjuvant. Water-sensitive paper cards and flexible polyvinyl chloride cards were positioned on different eucalyptus sprout canopy layers (ESCL) (upper, middle, and lower) to evaluate droplet distribution and deposition. Disposable coveralls, gloves, and respirators were used to evaluate the risk of occupational exposure. The results showed that the application ranges of 7.0 and 9.0 m with droplet sizes of 150µm and 300µm resulted in better droplet distribution throughout the ESCLs. However, the 450µm droplet size resulted in concentration of droplets in the upper ESCL. Using an MEBS resulted in greater heterogeneity in droplet distribution and approximately a 160-fold higher accumulation of droplets on different applicator's body parts compared to the RPA. The results confirmed the efficiency and operational safety of using RPAs for the application of agricultural pesticides and foliar fertilizers in eucalyptus plantations, as well as providing valuable contributions for future research on these practices in eucalyptus cultivation.

    Keywords: Eucalyptus ssp., Forestry, droplet deposition, Application technology, Risk of exposure, Spray drift, Unmanned aerial spraying system, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

    Received: 01 Oct 2024; Accepted: 20 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Felipe Oliveira Ribeiro, Leandro da Vitória, Pereira Bastos, Vieira Zanelato, de Assis Martins Júnior, De Vicente Ferraz, Gomes dos Santos, de Assis Ferreira, Victor Oliveira Ribeiro, de Assis Silva and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Luis Felipe Oliveira Ribeiro, Department of Agricultural and Biological Sciences (DCAB), Federal University of Espirito Santo, São Mateus, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.