Assessment of Spray Deposit and Loss in Traditional and Intensive Olive Orchards with Conventional and Crop-Adapted Sprayers

Plant protection product (PPP) applications to isolated olive trees are commonly performed with regular air-assisted sprayers, which not adapted their particular characteristics. Whilst strong efforts have been undertaken over the last years improve technical aspects like canopy detection and automated proportional dosing, nearly no made regarding sprayer adaption crop. For this reason, three prototype sprayers were developed for traditional intensive cultivations systems (P1: centrifugal fan; P2: six small side axial fans; P3: two fans in tower structure) purpose application efficiency. The main goal of present study was check spray quality efficiency comparison conventional both cultivation systems. tested different groves properly calibrated according tree dimensions. deposition, coverage, drift, losses ground measured five per system by placing appropriate collectors. very differently In system, deposition did significant differences (p = 0.105). However, it 0.003), P3 obtaining best results. coverage followed same trend, only orchard 0.011), prototypes leading. equipment generated highest Crop spraying can significantly difficult crops olive. This topic may a key importance match environmentally sustainable use PPP.