Optimization of control parameters of droplet density in citrus trees using UAVs and the Taguchi method

Authors

  • Chaojun Hou 1. College of Automation, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China;
  • Yu Tang 1. College of Automation, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China;
  • Shaoming Luo 1. College of Automation, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China;
  • Jintian Lin 1. College of Automation, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China;
  • Yong He 2. College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
  • Jiajun Zhuang 1. College of Automation, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China;
  • Weifeng Huang 1. College of Automation, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China;

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25165/ijabe.v12i4.4139

Keywords:

droplet density, citrus, Taguchi method, aerial spraying, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), plant protection

Abstract

The control parameters of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) should be carefully designed to improve UAV spraying performance on citrus trees. The present study investigated the optimal droplet distribution control parameters in citrus trees using a UAV and the Taguchi method, of which optimal results were observed with an inverted triangle citrus tree canopy shape, a spraying height of 1.40 m, and a flight speed of 1.0 m/s. Among the discussed control parameters, the flight speed presented the most significant effect with a contribution percentage of 74.0%. The established multiple regression model predicted an optimal spraying height of 1.27 m and a maximum droplet density of 35.39 droplets/cm2. In addition, the effects of individual control parameter on the droplet density of the lower layer of citrus trees were systematically analyzed, of which inverted triangle shape more significantly affected the droplet density of the lower layer and presented an 82.0% increase in droplet density as compared to the triangle shape. An improvement of 59.6% in the lower layer droplet density was observed at a spraying height of 1.40 m. In addition, the other spraying heights did not present significant differences in their coefficient of variation (CV) values. Keywords: droplet density, citrus, Taguchi method, aerial spraying, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), plant protection DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191204.4139 Citation: Hou C J, Tang Y, Luo S M, Lin J T, He Y, Zhuang J J, et al. Optimization of control parameters of droplet density in citrus trees using UAVs and the Taguchi method. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(4): 1–9.

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Published

2019-08-01

How to Cite

Hou, C., Tang, Y., Luo, S., Lin, J., He, Y., Zhuang, J., & Huang, W. (2019). Optimization of control parameters of droplet density in citrus trees using UAVs and the Taguchi method. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 12(4), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.25165/ijabe.v12i4.4139

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 4 (2019): IJABE

Section

Applied Science, Engineering and Technology

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