Liu Ying, Liang Xiao, Wu Chunling, An Xingkui, Wu Mufeng, Zhao Zihua, Li Zhihong, Chen Qing
Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Haikou, China.
Sanya Research Academy, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agriculture Science/Hainan Key Laboratory for Biosafety Monitoring and Molecular Breeding in Off-Season Reproduction Regions, Sanya, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 May 8;16:1581367. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1581367. eCollection 2025.
The fall armyworm (FAW), , is a serious threat to maize production. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) represent a promising method for controlling FAW outbreaks. Given that FAW larvae primarily feed inside the maize whorl, we hypothesized that the efficacy of insecticide application depends on droplet density and coverage rate on the upper maize canopy.
This study evaluated the effects of spray operation parameters-including three flight heights (2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 m), three spray volumes (30.0, 37.5, and 45.0 L ha), and two nozzle types (XR11001VS and XR110015VS)-on droplet deposition distribution in maize canopies. Additionally, the control efficacy of 35% chlorantraniliprole water dispersible granules (WDG) against FAW was assessed over three consecutive years (2019-2021) to determine its correlation with droplet deposition.
Results indicated that flight height, spray volume, and nozzle type significantly influenced droplet deposition distribution. Two treatments-XR110015VS nozzle with 37.5 L ha spray volume at 2.5 m flight height and XR110015VS nozzle with 45.0 L ha spray volume at 2.5 m flight height-achieved the highest droplet density, optimal coverage rate on the upper maize canopy, and the lowest damage index, confirming our hypothesis. These treatments also demonstrated comparable FAW control efficacy to traditional electric air-pressure knapsack sprayers.
The findings provide practical insights for optimizing UAV-based insecticide applications to improve FAW management in maize production systems.
草地贪夜蛾对玉米生产构成严重威胁。无人机是控制草地贪夜蛾爆发的一种有前景的方法。鉴于草地贪夜蛾幼虫主要在玉米心叶内取食，我们推测杀虫剂的施用效果取决于玉米冠层上部的雾滴密度和覆盖率。
本研究评估了喷雾作业参数——包括三个飞行高度（2.0、2.5和3.0米）、三个喷雾量（30.0、37.5和45.0升/公顷）以及两种喷头类型（XR11001VS和XR110015VS）——对玉米冠层内雾滴沉积分布的影响。此外，连续三年（2019 - 2021年）评估了35%氯虫苯甲酰胺水分散粒剂对草地贪夜蛾的防治效果，以确定其与雾滴沉积的相关性。
结果表明，飞行高度、喷雾量和喷头类型显著影响雾滴沉积分布。两种处理——2.5米飞行高度下37.5升/公顷喷雾量的XR110015VS喷头和2.5米飞行高度下45.0升/公顷喷雾量的XR110015VS喷头——实现了最高的雾滴密度、玉米冠层上部的最佳覆盖率以及最低的危害指数，证实了我们的假设。这些处理对草地贪夜蛾的防治效果也与传统电动背负式喷雾器相当。
这些发现为优化基于无人机的杀虫剂应用以改善玉米生产系统中的草地贪夜蛾管理提供了实际见解。
