Determination of Flight Parameters of a Sprayer UAV According to the Disease in Corn Crops at the Reproductive Stage

Despite the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for pest control, there are still possibilities to optimize the spraying process by selecting the flight parameters of the operations involved, such as flight speed and height, according to the penetration of droplets that is sought to have in the corn plant. In this research, the flight parameters that the operators should select according to the type of disease they treat in corn crops were determined. To achieve this, first, a survey of the main diseases that attack corn crops in the region was carried out along with their location in the plant. Subsequently, flight tests were carried out selecting speeds of 2.80, 4.75, and 5.97 m/s and heights of 2.00, 2.75, and 3.50 m. The plants’ cover rates at the three different heights (top, middle, and bottom) were collected by hydrosensitive strips and scanned by the SnapCard scanning software. The use of statistical techniques allowed understanding the impact that flight parameters had on the coverage rate and droplet penetration: the higher the speed, the lower the coverage rate in the upper part of the plant and the higher the coverage rate in the lower part. On the other hand, the lower the height, the higher the coverage rate and droplet penetration.