Application of the herbicide combination tritosulfuron and florasulam by an unmanned aerial vehicle in the winter wheat

Abstract

Wheat is one of the most important agricultural crops used in human nutrition worldwide. Depending on the level of weediness, weedy plants can lead to significant yield losses, which according to some estimates can reach up to 10% worldwide. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used in chemical crop protection, but so far the effectiveness of herbicides applied by UAVs has not been sufficiently studied. The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility of using UAVs in the application of the herbicide combination tritosulfuron and florasulam in the protection of winter wheat from weeds. Efficacy of the abovementioned combination of herbicides was tested in the case of application of a low volume of treatment by UAV, as well as by means of a field sprayer. Combination of herbicides tritosulfuron and florasulam applied by an UAV (volume rate 30 l ha-1) showed high efficiency in controlling the weed species Capsella bursa-pastoris, Lactuca serriola, Sinapis arvensis and Viola arvensis, while the efficiency of the same combination was lower in the case of application with a field sprayer. Based on the results of the experiment, which indicated good efficacy of the tested herbicide mixture, we can conclude that from the aspect of successful protection of winter wheat from weeds, the use of UAV is fully justified.