Capitalize on Advancements in Spray Technology

By: Erdal Ozkan, Professor and Extension State Specialist, Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering-OSU

In contrast to field crops, vineyards and orchards exhibit significant canopy size and structural diversity. Interplanting vines of various ages within the same vineyard is a common practice that creates gaps between them. Additionally, canopy density can range from no canopy at all to a very dense canopy throughout the growing season, as shown below in pictures of the same vineyard in early season (left), mid-season (middle), and late season (right). 

Unfortunately, with today’s conventional fixed-rate sprayers, the sprayer operator cannot turn nozzles on or off when there are gaps between grapevines. Similarly, operators lack the ability to deactivate some nozzles on the go when vine sizes vary from fully grown tall ones to short, small vines planted only a year ago. Under these conditions, much of the sprayed material is wasted, particularly during early-season spraying when there is minimal canopy cover. As a result, excessive pesticide use raises production costs and increases the potential for environmental contamination. An air-assisted, “intelligent sprayer” was developed in Ohio for variable-rate pesticide application in orchards, vineyards, and nurseries to tackle these issues. It detects canopy presence, measures size, shape, and foliage density, and then independently adjusts the spray output of individual nozzles to match canopy volume and travel speed in real-time. Field tests showed that this sprayer technology could reduce airborne spray drift by up to 87% (depending on the growth stage of the canopy and leaf density), decrease ground spray loss by 68–93%, and lower spray volume by 47–73% while maintaining effective control of insects and diseases. The “Smart Guided Systems” company has commercialized this technology in the U.S. The company offers components to retrofit existing constant-rate conventional “airblast” sprayers used in vineyards and orchards, enabling them to apply pesticides at a variable rate. This allows growers to modify their existing equipment and convert their constant-rate sprayer into a variable-rate sprayer at a fraction of the cost of a new sprayer. 

Another recent technological development is the use of drones for spraying pesticides in vineyards. Drones are becoming increasingly popular, especially in areas where using conventional spraying equipment is neither safe nor practical. Currently, several factors—such as rapid advancements in drone technology, insufficient data on the effectiveness of drone applications compared to traditional ground sprayers, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restrictions on drone operations—are hindering the adoption of drone spraying among fruit growers. However, given the substantial interest in and popularity of drone spraying, these limitations will likely be eased and addressed in the future. I will feature an article on the use of spray drones in an upcoming issue of this newsletter. 

Detailed information on recent advancements in technology for effective spraying in orchards and vineyards is provided in the Ohio State University Extension publication (FABE-538) “Advancements in Technology for Effective Spraying in Orchards and Vineyards” (https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/fabe-538).

Both the intelligent sprayer for variable-rate application and the spray drone will be demonstrated in a workshop on August 12, 2025. In addition to these new technologies, best practices for spraying with conventional vineyard sprayers will be discussed and demonstrated at this event. Additional information about this workshop, including registration details, can be found at this website https://ohiograpeweb.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/events/new-sprayer-technologies-and-best-spraying-practices-workshop.