Analysis of angled nozzle spray profiles and their suitability in site-specific applications.

Spot application of pesticide has economic and environmental benefits. To enable a real-time spraying, the timing of actuation after detecting the pest should be precise to enable hitting the target. One issue in spraying using wide booms is the need to place cameras on the boom itself to avoid possible costly mechanical modifications. As such, the short distance between the sensor (camera) and actuator (nozzle valves) requires nearly instantaneous detection and actuation which is not possible with the current state-of-the-art technology. During the internship, we plan to test and validate new angled nozzle tips that allow the sprayer to spray backwards to gain time that will allow the camera to detect the pest and send a signal to the nozzle valve. Also, we plan to test the spraying pattern while the valve is opening to verify the possibility of including the transitional period of valve opening in the spraying time.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ahmad Al-Mallahi

Student:

Partner:

Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Agriculture and Food; Technology; Sustainability & the Environment

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: