Spraying of phytosanitary products with different equipment and flow rates in soybean crop
Keywords:
agronomic performance, spraying drones, self-propelled sprayerAbstract
The use of spraying drones in agricultural crops has become a recurring practice on rural properties. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of different spraying equipment and flow rates on the agronomic performance of second-season soybean crop. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Polytechnic College, Federal University of Santa Maria, under the experimental design of randomized blocks, in a 3×2 factorial, with three spraying equipment (DJI T16 drone, DJI T40 drone and MF 8225 self-propelled sprayer) and two flow rates for each equipment (10 and 15 L ha-1 for drones and 50 and 100 L ha-1 for self-propelled sprayer). For drones, application rates of 10 and 15 L ha-1 were classified as low and high, respectively, whereas for the self-propelled sprayer, application rates of 50 and 100 L ha-1 were classified as low and high, respectively. The evaluated variables were number of pods per plant, number of grains per plant, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield. ANOVA indicated no significant interaction between application rates × equipment, with no significant main effects observed. It was concluded that both drones and the self-propelled sprayer, regardless of the application rate, ensured similar soybean crop performance.
References
1. Guarienti VF, Pavão LFS, Maldaner IC, Follmann DN, Pes LZ, Farias MS, et al. Desempenho agronômico, teores de proteína e óleo de cultivares de soja em ambiente de terras baixas com ocorrência de La Niña. Obs de La Econ Latinoam. 2024;22(02):14974-96.
2. Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento. Acompanhamento da safra brasileira de grãos: safra 2023/24 - 10° levantamento [Internet]. Brasília (DF): CONAB; 2024 [cited 2025 May 19]. Available from: https://www.conab.gov.br/info-agro/safras/graos/ boletim-da-safra-de-graos
3. Moraes LR, Araújo Neto LT, Garcia LHA, Mendonça MAB, Santos RR, Neto OC. Benefícios, desafios e legislações para utilização de drones na produção agrícola: uma revisão da literatura. Rev Multidiscip do Nordeste Mineiro. 2024;3(1):1–13.
4. Oliveira AJ, Silva GF, Silva GR, Santos AAC, Caldeira DSA, Vilarinho MKC, et al. Potencialidades da utilização de drones na agricultura de precisão. Braz J Dev. 2020;6(10):64140–9.
5. Alarcão Júnior JC, Nuñez DNC. O uso de drones na agricultura 4.0. Brazilian Journal of Science. 2024;3(1):1-13.
6. Ribeiro MEA, Ribeiro LFO, Santos TG, Nunes JGP, Vitória EL. Análise bibliométrica da produção científica sobre uso de aeronave remotamente pilotada na pulverização agrícola. Braz J Prod Eng. 2024;10(1):94–104.
7. Silva MRA. Deposição de calda aplicada com aeronave remotamente pilotada nas culturas de milho e soja [dissertação]. Uberlândia: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia; 2022. 50 p.
8. Lopes LL, Cunha JPAR, Nomelini QSS. Use of unmanned aerial vehicle for pesticide application in soybean crop. AgriEngineering. 2023;5(4):2049-2063.
9. Liu Y, Ru L, Duan L, Qu R. Model and design of real-time control system for aerial variable spray. PLoS One. 2020;15(7):1-16.
10. García-Munguía A, Guerra-Ávila PL, Islas-Ojeda E, Flores-Sánchez JL, Vázquez-Martínez O, García-Munguía AM, et al. A review of drone technology and operation processes in agricultural crop spraying. Drones. 2024;8(11):674.
11. Thomson SJ, Huang Y. Comparison of weather data acquisition periods influencing an aerial pesticide drift statistical model. Agronomy. 2023;13(1):213.
12. Alvares CA, Stape JL, Sentelhas PC, de Moraes GJL, Sparovek G. Köppen’s climate classification map for Brazil. Meteorol Z. 2013;22(6):711–728.
13. dos Santos HG, Jacomine PKT, Anjos LHC, Oliveira VA, Lumbreras JF, Coelho MR, et al. Sistema brasileiro de classificação de solos. 5th ed. Brasília (DF): Embrapa; 2018. 356 p.
14. Chen P, Ouyang F, Wang G, Qi H, Xu W, Yang W, et al. Droplet distributions in cotton harvest aid applications vary with the interactions among the unmanned aerial vehicle spraying parameters. Ind Crops Prod. 2021;163:113324.
15. Cunha JP, Silva MR. Spray deposition from a remotely piloted aircraft on the corn crop. Rev Ciênc Agron. 2023;54:e20217862.
16. Lou Z, Xin F, Han X, Lan Y, Duan T, Fu W. Effect of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Flight Height on Droplet Distribution, Drift and Control of Cotton Aphids and Spider Mites. Agronomy. 2018;8(9):187.
17. Woldt W, Martin D, Latheef M, Kruger G, Wright R, McMechan J, et al. Field Evaluation of Commercially Available Small Unmanned Aircraft Crop Spray Systems. Transactions of the ASABE. 2018;61(2):603-614.
18. Comissão de Química e Fertilidade do Solo - RS/SC. Manual de calagem e adubação para os estados do Rio Grande do Sul e de Santa Catarina. 11th ed. Frederico Westphalen: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência do Solo - Núcleo Regional Sul; 2016. 376 p.
19. Martin TN, Rugeri AP, Beutler AN, Conceição GM, Fipke GM, Pires JM, et al. Indicações técnicas para a cultura da soja no Rio Grande do Sul e em Santa Catarina e no Paraná 2020/2021. Passo Fundo: Embrapa Trigo; 2020. 272 p.
20. Shapiro SS, Wilk MB. An analysis of variance test for normality (complete samples). Biometrika. 1965;52(3-4):591–611.
21. Steel RGD, Torrie JH, Dickey DA. Principles and procedures of statistics: a biometrical approach. New York (NY): McGraw-Hill; 1997. 666 p.
22. Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia. Banco de Dados Meteorológicos [Internet]. Brasília (DF): INMET; c2022 [cited 2025 May 4]. Available from: https://portal.inmet.gov.br/
23. Wink JE, Tagliapietra EL, Porta FS, Tura EF, Nora MD, Alves AF, et al. Ecofisiologia da soja visando altas produtividades. 3rd ed. Santa Maria: Editora GR; 2025. 686 p.
24. Zanon AJ, Streck NA, Grassini P. Climate and management factors influence soybean yield potential in a subtropical environment. Agron J. 2016;108(4):1447-1454.
25. Nico M, Miralles DJ, Kantolic AG. Natural post-flowering photoperiod and photoperiod sensitivity: Roles in yield-determining processes in soybean. Field Crops Res. 2019;231:141-152.
26. Canal Rural. Drones: conheça vantagens da utilização desse equipamento nas lavouras [Internet]. São Paulo: Canal Rural; c2021 [cited 2025 May 20]. Available from: https://www.canalrural.com.br/programas/direto-ao-ponto/drones-saiba-vantagens-da-utilizacao-desse-equipamento-nas-lavouras/
27. Barbizan RZ, Cavichioli FA. Uso de drones na pulverização da agricultura 4.0. INFA. 2022;19(2):584-96.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista Ceres

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.