Drop Size Measurement Techniques for Agricultural Sprays:A State-of-The-Art Review

Plant protection control based on the spray application of plant products is a very complex task depending series factors, among which droplet size most influential for deposition and pesticide effectiveness. In fact, adoption correct can ensure that required dose reaches target area not wasted, minimizes off-target losses due to evaporation, drift run-off and, at same time, enhances operator’s safety in terms inhalation, ingestion dermal exposure. this paper, after defining some mean characteristic diameters helpful description drop population focusing main distribution functions statistical characterization sprays, critical analysis known methods, both intrusive non-intrusive, measurement carried out by reviewing literature. Among liquid immersion method use water-sensitive papers are discussed, whereas, non-intrusive laser-based systems (laser diffraction, phase Doppler particle analysis) high-speed imaging (shadowgrapy) presented. Both types method, be used machine-learning-based approaches exploiting regression techniques neural network analysis.