Efficiency of Fungicide Application an Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Pneumatic Sprayer for Control of <i>Hemileia vastatrix</i> and <i>Cercospora coffeicola</i> in Mountain Coffee Crops
Edney Leandro da Vitória,
Cesar Abel Krohling,
Felipe Ruela Pereira Borges,
Luis Felipe Oliveira Ribeiro,
Maria Eduarda Audizio Ribeiro,
Pengchao Chen,
Yubin Lan,
Shizhou Wang,
Hugo Marcus Fialho e Moraes,
Marconi Ribeiro Furtado Júnior
Affiliations
Edney Leandro da Vitória
Department of Agricultural and Biological Sciences (DCAB), Federal University of Espirito Santo (UFES), São Mateus CEP 29932-510, ES, Brazil
Cesar Abel Krohling
Capixaba Research Institute Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Incaper), Vitória CEP 29052-010, ES, Brazil
Felipe Ruela Pereira Borges
Syngenta Crop Protection, São Paulo CEP 04730-000, SP, Brazil
Luis Felipe Oliveira Ribeiro
Department of Agricultural and Biological Sciences (DCAB), Federal University of Espirito Santo (UFES), São Mateus CEP 29932-510, ES, Brazil
Maria Eduarda Audizio Ribeiro
Department of Agricultural and Biological Sciences (DCAB), Federal University of Espirito Santo (UFES), São Mateus CEP 29932-510, ES, Brazil
Pengchao Chen
National Center for International Collaboration Research on Precision Agricultural Aviation Pesticides Spraying Technology, College of Electronic Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yubin Lan
National Center for International Collaboration Research on Precision Agricultural Aviation Pesticides Spraying Technology, College of Electronic Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Shizhou Wang
National Center for International Collaboration Research on Precision Agricultural Aviation Pesticides Spraying Technology, College of Electronic Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Hugo Marcus Fialho e Moraes
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa CEP 36510-000, MG, Brazil
Marconi Ribeiro Furtado Júnior
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa CEP 36510-000, MG, Brazil
Coffee production and marketing is one of the main global commercial activities, but crop yields depend on several factors, among which plant health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of spray droplet deposition in coffee crops grown in a mountain region, associated to the efficacy of the control of fungal diseases. The application efficiency, using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and the efficacy of the products applied were tested. Water-sensitive paper tags were used to analyze the application efficiency; agronomic efficiency, vegetative vigor, yield, and physiological parameters were used to determine the fungicide efficacy. Droplet coverage in the upper canopy layer using a pneumatic sprayer (28.70%) was 4.11-fold higher than that found in the same layer for application using a UAV (6.98%) at the rate of 15 L ha−1. The highest droplet depositions by using a UAV were found for the rate of 15 L ha−1: 1.60, 1.04, and 0.43 µL cm−2 in the upper, middle, and lower layers, respectively; the deposition in the upper layer with application using a pneumatic sprayer was 42.67 µL cm−2, and therefore, a 26.7-fold higher deposition. The results denote that the control of fungal diseases through fungicide applications using a UAV is efficient for mountain coffee crops.
