November 12, 2012
USDA releases mobile phone app for insecticide spray equipment
Two mobile phone applications has been released by USDA to make convenient the use of insecticide spray equipment.
The apps are designed to ensure that aerial and ground-based crews can hit targets and minimise pesticide drift by keying in specifics on the type of equipment and pesticide they are using.
ARS is USDA''s principal intramural scientific research agency, and the research supports the USDA goal of promoting agricultural sustainability.
With dozens of manufacturers producing dozens of different types of spray technology-each with its own nozzle type, flow rate, and pressure setting range-the equipment setup can get pretty complicated. Aerial sprayers also must factor in wind speed, air temperature, flight speed and humidity.
The apps incorporate the latest science of spray technology, including "spray nozzle atomisation" models developed by ARS at College Station. They can be used with a smartphone and accessed right from a field or the cabin of a small aircraft. More than half of all aerial applicators responding to a survey by the National Agricultural Aviation Associationreported using smartphones. Data also can be saved for later use and e-mailed to colleagues.
One app is designed for ground-based spraying for mosquitoes and other threats to public health. It covers 60 different sprayers made by 19 manufacturers and was developed jointly with the Department of Defense''s Navy Entomology Center of Excellence. The user selects the appropriate sprayer and is guided through the process of selecting specific operational settings, such as the nozzle type, flow rate and spray pressure setting.
The other app, for aerial spraying, walks users through the process of adjusting nozzles and settings so pesticides are delivered at optimal droplet sizes. Droplet size is critical in aerial operations to ensure "on-target deposition" and minimise pesticide drift. The user specifies the nozzle manufacturer from a menu and is steered through a series of screens and prompts that, based on the specific operating conditions, helps him or her select the right size of the nozzle opening, spray pressure, nozzle orientation and airspeed.