A System for Adjusting the Spray Application to the Target Characteristics

In the ambit of the ISAFRUIT European Project, a sprayer prototype able to automatically adapt spray and air distribution according to the characteristics of the target, to the level of crop disease and to the environmental conditions is under development. In order to identify the characteristics of the canopy target, in terms of size and density, a Crop Identification System (CIS), based on ultrasonic sensors, was studied and realised. First tests carried out in the field, aimed at verifying the repeatability of results and the functioning of the system with different forward speeds (2, 4, 6 and 8 km h-1), have confirmed CIS suitability to detect in real time the features of the target to be sprayed and to enable the adequate regulation of spraying parameters. Further tests are in course to optimise its implementation on the finalised ISAFRUIT sprayer prototype