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Graphical abstract Highlights • DOSAVIÑA is a newly developed DSS giving optimal volume rates/PPP doses in vineyards. • A modified leaf wall area method integrates canopy density/width and sprayer type. • Accurate volume rates from the DSS allow good coverage and uniformity over the canopy. • DSS achieves 20% drop in volume rate and pesticide use while reducing contamination. • DOSAVIÑA is available for IOS and Android; a web version is also available. Abstract DOSAVIÑA is a new tool (website and app for smartphones) developed for calculating the optimal volume rates and pesticide doses to apply during spray application processes in vineyards. DOSAVIÑA also calculates and recommends the optimal working parameters for working pressure, forward speed, and number and types of nozzles. DOSAVIÑA was developed by the Unit of Agricultural Machinery at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and is available for iOS and Android devices. It is also available on the DOSAVIÑA website (https://dosavina.upc.edu). The developed tool can be used also for the calibration of spray applications on fruit trees (as well as on citrus orchards, olive trees, almond trees, and many other vertical crops) once the volume rate has been established. The system, which is based on a modified version of the leaf wall area (LWA) method, calculates the optimal volume rate for vineyards by considering the effects of leaf density, canopy width, and sprayer type. System testing took biological efficacy into consideration and measured the main factors used for characterizing spray processes, coverage, and distribution over the entire canopy. Results showed that water and pesticide use could be reduced by more than 20% while still meeting economic, environmental, and food quality requirements. The design of the tool is aligned with European requirements concerning pesticide use, as established in the European Directive for a Sustainable Use of Pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An orchard sprayer prototype running a variable-rate algorithm to adapt the spray volume to the canopy characteristics (dimensions, shape and leaf density) in real-time was designed and implemented. The developed machine was able to modify the application rate by using an algorithm based on the tree row volume, in combination with a newly coefficient defined as Density Factor (Df). Variations in the canopy characteristics along the row crop were electronically measured using six ultrasonic sensors (three per sprayer side). These differences in foliage structure were used to adjust the flow rate of the nozzles by merging the ultrasonic sensors data and the forward speed information received from the on-board GNSS. A set of motor-valves was used to regulate the final amount of sprayed liquid. Laboratory and field tests using artificial canopy were arranged to calibrate and select the optimal ultrasonic sensor configuration (width beam and signal pre-processing method) that best described the physical canopy properties. Results indicated that the sensor setup with a medium beam width offered the most appropriate characterization of trees in terms of width and Df. The experimental sprayer was also able to calculate the application rate automatically depending on changes on target trees. In general, the motor valves demonstrated adequate capability to supply and control the required liquid pressure at all times, mainly when spraying in a range between 4.0 and 14.0 MPa. Further work is required on the equipment, such as designing field efficiency tests for the sprayer or refining the accuracy of Df. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New spraying systems embedded with different technologies have been developed for pesticide application in 3D crops. However, while applied to specific tree crops, the potential spray drift mitigation for advanced spraying systems needs to be classified due to the great variability of spray equipment and canopy structure. Here a precision spraying system was developed and compared with two typical spraying systems (conventional system, optimized system following the best management practices) for the applied volume/pesticide and spray drift in an apple orchard at two growth stages following the ISO22866-2005 protocol. Compared to the conventional system, the other two advanced systems significantly reduced the amount of ground drift (> 60%) at most of the sampling distances at the growth stage BBCH 72, while the precision system demonstrated the best drift mitigation (57.3% reduction) at the stage BBCH 99. For the airborne drift, a remarkable drift reduction was also achieved with the two advanced systems. Specifically, the optimized spraying system exhibited a drift reduction by approximately 80% at the first growth stage, and the precision application demonstrated its considerable advantages in minimizing drift loss for the sparse canopy at the stage BBCH 99. Moreover, the saving of applied volume/pesticide was achieved by 12% with the optimized system and 43% with the precision system. This study revealed the necessity and prospect of the advanced spraying systems to reduce the environmental contamination and health risk from pesticide applications in fruit tree production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site-specific management of crops represents an important improvement in terms of efficiency and efficacy of the different labours, and its implementation has experienced a large development in the last decades, especially for field crops. The particular case of the spray application process for what are called "specialty crops" (vineyard, orchard fruits, citrus, olive trees, etc.) represents one of the most controversial and influential actions directly related with economical, technical, and environmental aspects. This study was conducted with the main objective to find possible correlations between data obtained from remote sensing technology and the actual canopy characteristics. The potential correlation will be the starting point to develop a variable rate application technology based on prescription maps previously developed. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a multispectral camera was used to obtain data to build a canopy vigour map of an entire parcel. By applying the specific software DOSAVIÑA®, the canopy map was then transformed into a practical prescription map, which was uploaded into the dedicated software embedded in the sprayer. Adding to this information precise georeferenced placement of the sprayer, the system was able to modify the working parameters (pressure) in real time in order to follow the prescription map. The results indicate that site-specific management for spray application in vineyards result in a 45% reduction of application rate when compared with conventional spray application. This fact leads to a equivalent reduction of the amount of pesticide when concentration is maintained constant, showing once more that new technologies can help to achieve the goal of the European legislative network of safe use of pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Variable Rate Application Technology (VRA) • Copper reduction. • Remote Sensing. • UAV. • Vineyard. Reduction of Plant Protection Products (PPP) has become a priority in agriculture, led by European directives and regulations due to the negative impacts and social awareness that pesticides have raised in the population. In viticulture, the use of copper to control Downy Mildew (Plasmopara viticola) is posing severe problems of soil, water and environment contamination, and European Commission is regulating its use through the EU regulation 2018/1981. A targeted spraying management can be done benefiting from the novel development of variable rate application (VRA) technology for orchard sprayers, resulting in savings of PPP. In this research, the quality of the application in terms of copper deposit in leaves of two VRA strategies where compared versus the conventional strategy performed by the farmer (REF). In each of the two VRA strategies, copper dosage was selected 1) maintaining copper dose per hectare (VRA) and 2) following the copper concentration listed in the product label (VRA [Cu]). Drone based NDVI maps from three commercial vineyards were used to characterize the structure of the vegetation in every vigour zone and manual measures in field were used to determine the most appropriate spraying volume rate according to canopy characteristics. Results show that a reduction of 33 and 44 % of copper used per hectare did not have significant impact on the quality of the application. On the contrary, while leaf deposit was comparable to that achieved by REF strategy, the product was better distributed across the entire canopy. Savings of 40 % of copper could be achieved in in the PPP application calendar along the season 2019 with no influence in disease control. Impact of PPP can be reduced by incorporating digital technologies, and the objectives of the Farm to Fork strategy and the European Green Deal can be met ensuring a more sustainable agri-food production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canopy characteristics are crucial for accurately and safely determining the pesticide quantity and volume of water used for spray applications in vineyards. The inevitably high degree of intraplot variability makes it difficult to develop a global solution for the optimal volume application rate. Here, the design procedure of, and the results obtained from, a variable rate application (VRA) sprayer are presented. Prescription maps were generated after detailed canopy characterization, using a multispectral camera embedded on an unmanned aerial vehicle, throughout the entire growing season in Torrelavit (Barcelona) in four vineyard plots of Chardonnay (2.35 ha), Merlot (2.97 ha), and Cabernet Sauvignonn (4.67 ha). The maps were obtained by merging multispectral images with information provided by DOSAVIÑA®, a decision support system, to determine the optimal volume rate. They were then uploaded to the VRA prototype, obtaining actual variable application maps after the application processes were complete. The prototype had an adequate spray distribution quality, with coverage values in the range of 20–40% and exhibited similar results in terms of biological efficacy on powdery mildew compared to conventional (and constant) application volumes. The VRA results demonstrated an accurate and reasonable pesticide distribution, with potential for reduced disease damage even in cases with reduced amounts of plant protection products and water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]