Chemical control of wheat sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps, by UAV sprayer and very low volume knapsack sprayer

Abstract

The Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae), is one of the most important pests of wheat crops in Iran and the Middle East. Chemical control by high-volume spraying is the most common method of controlling this pest. The current ground sprayers lack advanced spraying technologies, which results in low efficiency. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) sprayer for the chemical control of wheat Sunn pest. The effectiveness, field capacity, and costs of chemical insecticide application were compared between the UAV sprayer and the Very Low Volume (VLV) Knapsack Sprayer (KS). We found that the chemical control effectiveness of the two spraying methods was not significantly different. The UAV sprayer and the VLV knapsack sprayer had an effectiveness percentage of more than 95%. The UAV sprayer was better than the other in terms of field capacity, insecticide dosage ml ha-1, spray volume L ha-1, reduced drift, and the probability of the operator exposure. The field capacities of the UAV sprayer and the VLV knapsack sprayer were 3.75 and 0.5 hectares per hour, respectively, and the spray volumes were 14.6 and 30.0 L ha-1, respectively.5.5 and 0.8 hectares per hour, respectively, and the spray volume was 14.6 and 30.0 L ha⁻¹, respectively.