Effect of UASS spray application rates on vines canopy deposit

Aerial spray applications are usually carried out broadcast using uncrewed aerial spray systems (UASSs) irrespective of the crop type. Biglia et al. (2022) demonstrated that UASS band applications, when used to only target the vines canopy, can increase the canopy deposit, and concurrently reduce off-target losses. The authors also showed that, even applying similar spray rate, canopy deposits were higher when using an airblast sprayer. In this context, different spray application rates deserve to be tested to support a credible UASS use for vineyards crop protection. This work presents the results of field tests where the effect of UASS spray application rates on vines canopy deposit and coverage was studied. The performances of an airblast sprayer were used as reference.