Vol. 10, Special Issue 6 (2021)

Author(s):
Arudra Srinivasarao, Tapan Kumar Khura, Roaf Ahmad Parray, HL Kushwaha and Indra Mani

Abstract:
Spraying is one of the critical operations in agriculture. The importance of the use of chemical pesticides was well recognized in agriculture. Consumption of pesticides was increasing year by year, on the other hand, wastage of chemical pesticides also alarming. Droplet size and droplet densities are critical parameters to identify the effectiveness of sprayer. The smaller droplets were prone to drift and not retained on the plant, whereas larger droplets also not adhere to the plant canopy, hence it is important to consider droplet size as a critical parameter while evaluating the performance of any sprayer. In the scientific community, there are different techniques to analyze the deposition of spray with tracers. Different types of droplet collectors such as natural collectors, artificial collectors, Water Sensitive Papers (WSP) and polyethylene collectors were used by different researchers. Researchers intending to use these new results need to understand with clarity what exactly the measurements provide and how reliably they can provide them. This article intends, therefore, to bring some order to the discussion of techniques used for spray droplet analysis. Most of the techniques are certain to evolve and improve further, but this article can provide a snapshot in time and help create a context for understanding.