Comparing Quality of a Telescopic Boom Sprayer with Conventional Orchard Sprayers in Iran

Abstract

In small orchards, gardeners face several problems such as irregular tree planting, hard trafficability for tractors, economic problems for buying tractors, high drift in high height sprayers, low height of spraying, and diffic ulty of working with conventional sprayers. In this study, in order to solve some of these problems, a telescoping boom sprayer was designed and fabricated. The sprayer eq uipped with This Boom (TS) was evaluated in comparison with the conventional spray ers [W heel Barrow (WBS), Electrostatic (ES), Side Pump (SPS) Sprayers] in te rms of drift, spraying quality, solution consumption, fuel consumption, spray height, sprayi ng time, and spray loss. Results showed that the spraying quality coefficient of ES was better than that of SPS; WBS and TS could not be evaluated because the surface of se nsitive papers was wetted completely, but distribution of droplets on each card and betwe en the cards was more uniform in TS. Due to differences in drift, WBS had the highest mea n of droplet area and TS had the lowest. Also, WBS, TS, SPS, and ES had the maximum amount of solution consumption while ES, TS, and WBS had the minimum. SPS and ES d id not spray at high height; however, TS and WBS could spray at high height. The maximum and minimum spraying times were recorded for WBS and SPS, respectively. Values of 9.93 and 2.80 mm 2 were obtained for mean spray loss area of SPS and ES, re spectively. Spray loss area of the TS and WBS was not calculated. Keywords: Electrostatic sprayer, Side pump sprayer, Telescopi ng boom, Wheel barrow sprayer.