Journal of Researches in Mechanics of Agricultural Machinery

Journal of Researches in Mechanics of Agricultural Machinery

Evaluation of the Efficiency of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Sprayer in Controlling Two-Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus Urticae) Bean

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mona Tahmasebi 1
Nikrooz Bagheri 2
Abolfazl Hedayatipour 3
Sedigheh Ashtari 4
1 Agricultural Engineering Research Department, Markazi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Arak, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Agriculture Engineering Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
3 Instructor, Agricultural Engineering Research Department, Markazi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO),Arak, Iran
4 Assistant Professor, Plant Protection Research Department, Markazi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Arak, Iran
10.22034/jrmam.2026.14808.744
Abstract
Introduction
Legumes are the second most consumed food source for humans, and beans rank first among water legumes in Iran based on the area under cultivation. The two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) is a major pest of common bean, causing reduced growth, yield losses, and, in severe cases, plant mortality. Without timely intervention, infestations can cause significant economic damage, prompting reliance on chemical control methods. According to reports, bean fields are sprayed with various pesticides and acaricides using sprayers, on average 3 to 5 times (in some cases 8 times) each year, to control this pest. This level of pesticide spraying, along with environmental pollution, increases production costs, eliminates natural enemies, and increases unauthorized pesticide residues in the product. Today, the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to control pests and diseases of various crops has been proposed as a new method of spraying. According to the results of the research conducted, spraying with UAV has been more effective and efficient than other spraying methods. Therefore, considering the problems of spraying beans with conventional sprayers and the capabilities of UAV in pest management, the aim of this study is to assess the technical efficacy of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sprayers in managing of two-spotted spider mite in bean fields compered to tractor-mounted lancer sprayers as a conventional method.
Material and Methods
In order to investigate the effect of spraying rate and height on the consumption of the solution pesticide, the drift, the spraying uniformity, and control of two-spotted spider mite, a randomized complete block design with three replications was employed in two crop years at the station of the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Markazi Province. The experimental treatments included: T1- UAV sprayer (spraying rate of 1.2 L/min- spraying height of 1.5 m), T2- UAV sprayer (spraying rate of 1.2 L/min- spraying height of 2.5 m), T3- UAV sprayer (spraying rate of 2.4 L/min- spraying height of 1.5 m), T4- UAV sprayer (spraying rate of 2.4 L/min- spraying height of 2.5 m), and T5- tractor-mounted lancer sprayers (conventional method). In all tests, the flying speed of the UAV sprayer was 6 m/s. Conventional tractor-mounted lancer sprayers, the standard regional method, served as the control. Data were analyzed using SPSS, and ANOVA revealed significant treatment differences at the 1% level.
Results and Discussion
The results demonstrated that the UAV sprayer not only reduced pesticide consumption but also significantly decreased the spray drift rate compared to tractor-mounted lancer sprayers. This dual effect substantially minimized pesticide waste and mitigated environmental contamination. The highest drift (34.17%) occurred with the lancer sprayer, whereas the lowest drift (7.5%) was observed for the UAV treatment 3 (2.4 L/min, 1.5 m height). The highest consumption rate of the UAV sprayer was 26.4 L/hr, achieved at a spraying rate of 2.4 L/min and a speed of 6 m/s. This was substantially lower than the amount of solution used by the lancer sprayer by 502.2 L/hr. The average effective field capacity was 7.8 ha/hr and 6.7 ha/hr for the UAV sprayer at 2.5 m and 1.5 m heights, respectively, compared to 0.83 ha/hr for the lancer sprayer. The field efficiency of the UAV sprayer was 72.33% and 69.49% at heights of 1.5 m and 2.5 m, respectively.
In contrast, the lowest field efficiency (42.33%) was attained with the lancer sprayer. Accordingly, the effective field capacity of the UAV sprayer at heights of 1.5 m and 2.5 m, and the lancer sprayer was obtained 6.72, 7.8, and 0.83 hr/hr, respectively. Increasing the spray flow rate at constant speed enhanced the spraying uniformity coefficient. Among the UAV treatments, treatment 3 (2.4 L/min, 1.5 m) showed the lowest spraying coefficient. All UAV treatments outperformed conventional spraying in mite control while using less pesticide. The lancer sprayer showed the lowest effectiveness in controlling the two-spotted spider mite on beans at 7 and 14 days after spraying. Although there was no significant difference between the experimental treatments 14 days after spraying, both spraying methods were effective in controlling the two-spotted spider mite. Notably, Treatment 2 (1.2 L/min, 2.5 m) achieved the highest efficacy at 7 and 14 days after spraying. In conclusion, from a technical standpoint, the UAV sprayer is superior to the lance sprayer for controlling bean pests, offering significant advantages in efficiency, drift reduction, and chemical usage.
Conclusions
This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of a UAV sprayer with two spray rates and two spray heights for controlling the two-spotted spider mite pest of common beans, and to compare it with the conventional spraying method (a tractor-mounted lancer sprayer).
- In spraying with the UAV sprayer, in addition to reducing the consumption of pesticide solution, the amount of drift was lower than with a lancer sprayer.
- The effective field capacity and field efficiency of the UAV sprayer are higher than that of the lancer sprayer.
- The UAV sprayer has acceptable spraying quality factors.
- The lance sprayer showed the lowest percentage of effectiveness in controlling the two-spotted spider mite of beans at 7 and 14 days after spraying.
Due to its greater field efficiency, the UAV sprayer is advantageous for large areas and in conditions of pest epidemics. Also, in fields where tractors cannot enter due to flat bean cultivation (or rainfall and post-irrigation conditions), the best spraying method is to use a UAV. In general, when spraying with the UAV sprayer to control bean spider mites, a flight height of 1.5 m, a maximum flight speed of 6 m/s, and a flow rate of 2.4 L/min are recommended.
Keywords
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle sprayer
Smart agriculture
pest control
beans
Subjects
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