Automated Mobile Hot Mist Generator: A Quest for Effectiveness in Fruit Horticulture

The study relates to the use of automated plant protection systems in agriculture. The article presents a proprietary automated mobile platform with an aerosol generator of hot mist. Furthermore, the cause of the loss of a chemical preparation in the spraying of plant protection products on the tree crown was determined in the course of field research. A statistical analysis of the results of experiment was carried out and the effect of droplet size on leaf coating density was determined. The manuscript presents a diagram of the degree of penetration of the working solution as it drops into the crown of the tree, as well as a cross-sectional graph of the permeability of the spray from the projection of the fruit tree crown. The most effective modes of operation of the automated mobile platform for spraying plant protection products with a mist generator aggregate were established. Analysis of the results shows that the device meets the spraying requirements of the procedure for spraying plant protection products. The novelty of this research lies in the optimal modes identified by movement of the developed automated mobile platform and the parameters of plant treatment with protective equipment when using a hot mist generator. The following mode parameters were established: the speed of the automated platform was 3.4 km/h, the distance to the crown of the tree was 1.34 m, and the flow rate of the working fluid was 44.1 L/h. Average fuel consumption was 2.5 L/h. Effective aerosol penetration reduced the amount of working fluid used by up to 50 times.