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Agronomy
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Novel Studies in High-Performance and Smart Plant Protection Products Application—3rd...
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Novel Studies in High-Performance and Smart Plant Protection Products Application—3rd Edition

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Precision and Digital Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 2305

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Changling Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Science, China Agricultural University, Yuanmingyuan Xilu No. 2, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: pesticide application technology; unmanned aerial spraying system (UASS); atomization; droplet; spray deposition; spray drift
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last 70 years, with the widespread use of plant protection products (PPPs), food quality and human life expectancy have been vastly improved. At the same time, considerable attention has been paid to environmental protection, and especially to the minimisation of PPP pollution in water, with emphasis on minimising spray drift from the treated areas. Both manual and high-efficiency sprayers, such as knapsack sprayers, spray guns, boom sprayers, air-blast sprayers, manned fixed-wing aircrafts, manned helicopters, and so on, have been widely applied in different scenarios worldwide. Since the beginning of this decade, agricultural unmanned aerial spraying systems (UASSs) for plant protection, with high flexibility and mobility, as well as low acquisition and maintenance costs, have rapidly been gaining traction as a new means of PPP application, especially in China and other Asian countries. In addition, both aerial and ground plant protection machines are used for unmanned, precise, and high-performance standardisation and informationisation. More and more frontier technologies, such as multispectral/hyperspectral imaging technology, AI, deep learning, IoT, lasers, high-speed data transmission, robots, nano-pesticides, etc., have been proposed and applied, with fewer PPPs being lost in the environment. More research is needed for these new technologies to be fully incorporated to minimise agrochemical use and improve the timing of applications.

In this Special Issue, we aim to focus on any novel studies pertaining to high-performance, smart PPP utilisation, including theory, algorithms, models, simulations, systems, equipment, technologies, and evaluation methods. Both research and review articles are welcome.

Dr. Changling Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • smart PPP application
  • atomization
  • spray deposition
  • spray drift
  • control efficacy
  • boom sprayer
  • air-blast sprayer
  • manned agricultural aircraft
  • unmanned aerial spraying system (UASS)
  • robot sprayer
  • frontier technologies

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 6253 KB  
Article
Spreading Uniformity and Parameter Optimization of Multi-Rotor UAVs for Granular Fertilizer Application
by Xiaoyu Chen, Ruirui Zhang, Chenchen Ding, Weiwei Zhang, Peng Hu, Yue Chao and Liping Chen
Agronomy 2026, 16(6), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16060662 - 20 Mar 2026
Viewed by 236
Abstract
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) fertilization is important for precision agriculture. However, multi-rotor UAVs show a lot of inconsistencies in homogeneity and unclear deposition patterns when they spread granular fertilizer in different operational situations. This study utilized the DJI T40 UAV to measure discharge [...] Read more.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) fertilization is important for precision agriculture. However, multi-rotor UAVs show a lot of inconsistencies in homogeneity and unclear deposition patterns when they spread granular fertilizer in different operational situations. This study utilized the DJI T40 UAV to measure discharge rates and create a correlation model. An orthogonal design combined DEM simulation with field experiments to look at how flight height and disc speed affected spreading uniformity and effective swath for single and overlapping flight paths. The discharge rate has a strong linear relationship with control parameters (R2 > 0.94), which means that it is very easy to predict for all particle sizes. Single-pass deposition shows an “M-shaped” bimodal profile with particles of different sizes arranged in a radial pattern. The best values for H and n were found to be 7 m and 1200 rpm, respectively, and gave a 10 m effective swath width and a coefficient of variation (CV) of 13.79%. Deposition patterns change nonlinearly with flight height and disc speed. Particle size consistency is critical for distribution stability, with flight height being the key quality determinant and particle size variation the primary source of instability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Studies in High-Performance and Smart Plant Protection Products Application—3rd Edition)
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15 pages, 4614 KB  
Article
Construction of a CFD Simulation and Prediction Model for Pesticide Droplet Drift in Agricultural UAV Spraying
by Qingqing Zhou, Songchao Zhang, Meng Huang, Chen Cai, Haidong Zhang, Yuxuan Jiao and Xinyu Xue
Agronomy 2026, 16(1), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010129 - 5 Jan 2026
Viewed by 649
Abstract
This study employed a combined approach of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), numerical simulations, and wind tunnel tests to investigate droplet drift characteristics and develop prediction models in order to address the issues of low pesticide utilization rates and high drift risk, associated with [...] Read more.
This study employed a combined approach of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), numerical simulations, and wind tunnel tests to investigate droplet drift characteristics and develop prediction models in order to address the issues of low pesticide utilization rates and high drift risk, associated with droplet drift during agricultural unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spraying, as well as the unreliable results of field experiments. Firstly, a numerical model of the rotor wind field was established using the multiple reference frame (MRF) method, while the realizable k-ε turbulence model was employed to analyze the flow field. The model’s reliability was verified through wind field tests. Next, the Euler–Lagrange method was used to couple the wind field with droplet movement. The drift characteristics of two flat-fan nozzles (FP90-02 and F80-02) were then compared and analyzed. The results showed that the relative error between the simulated and wind tunnel test values was within 20%. Centrifugal nozzle experiments were carried out using single-factor and orthogonal designs to analyze the effects of flight height, rotor wind speed, flight speed, and droplet size on drift. The priority order of influence was found to be “rotor wind speed > flight height > flight speed”, while droplet size (DV50 = 100–300 µm) was found to have no significant effect. Based on the simulation data, a multiple linear regression drift prediction model was constructed with a goodness of fit R2 value of 0.9704. Under the verification condition, the relative error between the predicted and simulated values was approximately 10%. These results can provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for assessing drift risk and optimizing operational parameters for agricultural UAVs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Studies in High-Performance and Smart Plant Protection Products Application—3rd Edition)
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Review

Jump to: Research

17 pages, 1817 KB  
Review
Research Advances in Decision-Making Technologies for Precision Pesticide Application in Crops
by Xiaofu Feng, Tongye Shi, Huimin Wu, Mengran Yang, Mengyao Luo, Jiali Li and Changling Wang
Agronomy 2026, 16(6), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16060605 - 12 Mar 2026
Viewed by 277
Abstract
Global agricultural production is severely threatened by the intensification of crop diseases and pests. Traditional pesticide application methods, characterized by inefficiency and frequent phytotoxicity, necessitate the urgent development of smart plant protection technologies that feature precision, dosage reduction, and high efficiency. This study [...] Read more.
Global agricultural production is severely threatened by the intensification of crop diseases and pests. Traditional pesticide application methods, characterized by inefficiency and frequent phytotoxicity, necessitate the urgent development of smart plant protection technologies that feature precision, dosage reduction, and high efficiency. This study focuses on the core component of intelligent decision-making, systematically delineating the technological trajectory of the field through a three-tier analytical framework: “model evolution–system integration–application form.” Analysis reveals that decision-making models have transitioned from rule-driven and data-driven approaches to fusion-driven paradigms. This evolution marks a shift from the codification of empirical experience to data learning, culminating in the synergistic integration of multi-source information and domain knowledge. At the system application level, the core technical architecture—comprising multi-dimensional information sensing, real-time edge computing, and precise control execution—has facilitated the translation of intelligent pesticide application from laboratory settings to field deployment. Future decision-making systems are projected to evolve towards causal understanding, cluster collaboration, and ubiquitous service, providing critical technical support for the green transformation and sustainable development of agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Studies in High-Performance and Smart Plant Protection Products Application—3rd Edition)
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19 pages, 1381 KB  
Review
Sprayer Boom Balance Control Technologies: A Survey
by Songchao Zhang, Tianhong Liu, Chen Cai, Chun Chang, Zhiming Wei, Longfei Cui, Suming Ding and Xinyu Xue
Agronomy 2026, 16(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010033 - 22 Dec 2025
Viewed by 708
Abstract
The operational efficiency and precision of boom sprayers, as critical equipment for protecting field crops, are vital to global food security and agricultural sustainability. In precision agriculture systems, achieving uniform pesticide application fundamentally depends on maintaining stable boom posture during operation. However, severe [...] Read more.
The operational efficiency and precision of boom sprayers, as critical equipment for protecting field crops, are vital to global food security and agricultural sustainability. In precision agriculture systems, achieving uniform pesticide application fundamentally depends on maintaining stable boom posture during operation. However, severe boom vibration not only directly causes issues like missed spraying, double spraying, and pesticide drift but also represents a critical bottleneck constraining its functional realization in cutting-edge applications. Despite its importance, achieving absolute boom stability is a complex task. Its suspension system design faces a fundamental technical contradiction: effectively isolating high-frequency vehicle vibrations caused by ground surfaces while precisely following large-scale, low-frequency slope variations in the field. This paper systematically traces the evolutionary path of self-balancing boom technology in addressing this core contradiction. First, the paper conducts a dynamic analysis of the root causes of boom instability and the mechanism of its detrimental physical effects on spray quality. This serves as a foundation for the subsequent discussion on technical approaches for boom support and balancing systems. The paper also delves into the evolution of sensing technology, from “single-point height measurement” to “point cloud morphology perception,” and provides a detailed analysis of control strategies from classical PID to modern robust control and artificial intelligence methods. Furthermore, this paper explores the deep integration of this technology with precision agriculture applications, such as variable rate application and autonomous navigation. In conclusion, the paper summarizes the main challenges facing current technology and outlines future development trends, aiming to provide a comprehensive reference for research and development in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Studies in High-Performance and Smart Plant Protection Products Application—3rd Edition)
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