Assessment of Pesticide Mixtures for Unmanned Aerial Spraying in Rice: A Physical Compatibility Perspective

Abstract

The use of drone spraying technology has shown great promise in overcoming the limitations of manual spraying in agriculture. However, ensuring the physical compatibility of pesticide mixtures for drone applications remains a crucial aspect. In this study, we conducted an experiment to investigate the physical compatibility of five insecticides viz, chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC, tetraniliprole 200 SC, cartap hydrochloride 50% SP, flubendiamide 39.35% SC, and acephate 50% + imidacloprid 1.8% SP with five fungicides viz, picoxystrobin 7.5% + tricyclazole 22.5% SC, azoxystrobin 18.2% + difenoconazole 11.4% SC, tebuconazole 50% + trifloxystrobin 25% WG, picoxystrobin 7% + propiconazole 12% SC, and prochloraz 23.5% + tricyclazole 20% SE at drone and taiwan spraying concentrations by jar compatibility test. Among the 25 combinations tested only seven combinations at drone spraying concentration showed foaming ranging from 15-20 ml/l. Furthermore, none of the pesticides or their combinations shown alkaline pH. Thus, all the pesticide combinations demonstrated resistance to alkaline degradation, potentially leading to the formation of sedimentation when these pesticides are combined.