Dynamics of spray deposition pattern with UAV ‐based herbicide application for effective weed management in sugarcane crop
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2026
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| author | Rajesh U. Modi Mrunalini Kancheti Ved P. Singh Akhilesh K. Singh Mrityunjai K. Singh Rasappa Viswanathan Dinesh Singh |
| author_facet | Rajesh U. Modi Mrunalini Kancheti Ved P. Singh Akhilesh K. Singh Mrityunjai K. Singh Rasappa Viswanathan Dinesh Singh Rajesh U. Modi Mrunalini Kancheti Ved P. Singh Akhilesh K. Singh Mrityunjai K. Singh Rasappa Viswanathan Dinesh Singh |
| collection | Wiley Open Access |
| contents | Dynamics of spray deposition pattern with UAV ‐based herbicide application for effective weed management in sugarcane crop Rajesh U. Modi Mrunalini Kancheti Ved P. Singh Akhilesh K. Singh Mrityunjai K. Singh Rasappa Viswanathan Dinesh Singh Pest Management Science Abstract BACKGROUND Sugarcane productivity is severely constrained by weeds, which reduce yield by 12.0–83.0%, impair crop quality, and harbour pests and diseases. This study was designed to analyze the dynamics of spray deposition pattern of a UAV‐based herbicide spraying system for efficient weed management in sugarcane compared to manual knapsack sprayer as a control. The experiment was conducted using a split‐plot design with two herbicide combinations as main plots, and evaluating three UAV flight speed and three heights of spray application as sub‐plots with three replications. RESULTS UAV flight height, flight speed and droplet size significantly influence spray deposition pattern. Optimal conditions for herbicide application were UAV flight speed of 3.0 m s −1 and a flight height of 1.0 m above the crop canopy using halosulfuron methyl + metribuzin. The spray deposition parameters included a coverage range of 15.9–17.1%, droplet density of 45.4–46.4 droplets cm −2 , number median diameter and volume median diameter of 107.6–109.7 μm and 273.7–276.0 μm, respectively, resulting in a spray drift potential indicator of <15.0%. Transformed data indicated that weed density ranged from 10.5 to 11.9 plants m −2 with weed dry matter between 4.9 and 5.4 g m −2 . CONCLUSION Under optimized conditions, UAV‐based spraying achieved 80.2% weed control efficiency compared to the unweeded plot and was on at par with the control. The UAV‐based spraying system operated with a field capacity of 2.6 ha h −1 and incurred a cost of operation of US$4.37 ha −1 , with water savings of 89.0% and reduced operational cost of 81.6% compared to control. UAV‐based spraying thus provides an efficient, economical and sustainable weed management strategy in sugarcane cultivation. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry. 10.1002/ps.70539 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1002/ps.70539 |
| format | Artículo Open Access |
| id | wiley_oa_10_1002_ps_70539 |
| institution | Wiley Open Access |
| license_str_mv | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | wiley_oa |
| spellingShingle | Dynamics of spray deposition pattern with UAV ‐based herbicide application for effective weed management in sugarcane crop Rajesh U. Modi Mrunalini Kancheti Ved P. Singh Akhilesh K. Singh Mrityunjai K. Singh Rasappa Viswanathan Dinesh Singh Pest Management Science Dynamics of spray deposition pattern with UAV ‐based herbicide application for effective weed management in sugarcane crop Rajesh U. Modi Mrunalini Kancheti Ved P. Singh Akhilesh K. Singh Mrityunjai K. Singh Rasappa Viswanathan Dinesh Singh Pest Management Science Abstract BACKGROUND Sugarcane productivity is severely constrained by weeds, which reduce yield by 12.0–83.0%, impair crop quality, and harbour pests and diseases. This study was designed to analyze the dynamics of spray deposition pattern of a UAV‐based herbicide spraying system for efficient weed management in sugarcane compared to manual knapsack sprayer as a control. The experiment was conducted using a split‐plot design with two herbicide combinations as main plots, and evaluating three UAV flight speed and three heights of spray application as sub‐plots with three replications. RESULTS UAV flight height, flight speed and droplet size significantly influence spray deposition pattern. Optimal conditions for herbicide application were UAV flight speed of 3.0 m s −1 and a flight height of 1.0 m above the crop canopy using halosulfuron methyl + metribuzin. The spray deposition parameters included a coverage range of 15.9–17.1%, droplet density of 45.4–46.4 droplets cm −2 , number median diameter and volume median diameter of 107.6–109.7 μm and 273.7–276.0 μm, respectively, resulting in a spray drift potential indicator of <15.0%. Transformed data indicated that weed density ranged from 10.5 to 11.9 plants m −2 with weed dry matter between 4.9 and 5.4 g m −2 . CONCLUSION Under optimized conditions, UAV‐based spraying achieved 80.2% weed control efficiency compared to the unweeded plot and was on at par with the control. The UAV‐based spraying system operated with a field capacity of 2.6 ha h −1 and incurred a cost of operation of US$4.37 ha −1 , with water savings of 89.0% and reduced operational cost of 81.6% compared to control. UAV‐based spraying thus provides an efficient, economical and sustainable weed management strategy in sugarcane cultivation. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry. 10.1002/ps.70539 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
| title | Dynamics of spray deposition pattern with UAV ‐based herbicide application for effective weed management in sugarcane crop |
| topic | Pest Management Science |
| url | https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.70539 |