Specialty crops, such as apples, are vulnerable to insects and pathogens, and require higher pesticide input than row crops, a significant fraction of which is off-target loss, causing adverse environmental and socio-economic impacts. An advanced laser-guided variable-rate sprayer (VRS) could improve spray deposition uniformity and minimize pesticide waste, while maintaining efficacy against insects and pathogens. Despite these merits, retrofitting a conventional sprayer with laser-guided variable-rate spraying functions adds to its cost. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the techno-economics of a conventional pesticide sprayer retrofitted with VRS, in comparison to a conventional constant-rate sprayer (CRS) for pesticide application during apple production. A techno-economic model was developed for the apple orchards covering areas of 4 and 20 ha, which are common orchard sizes in the USA. The model incorporated cost for operation, equipment, fuel use and labor during pesticide application. The data were obtained from field tests in orchards in Ohio, USA in years 2016 and 2017, literature, and the original VRS development team at USDA-ARS and Ohio State University. The results indicated that VRS can reduce pesticide costs by 60–67%, pesticide application time by 27–32% and labor and fuel by 28% compared to CRS. For larger orchards, VRS also reduced equipment requirement. Compared to CRS, overall annual pesticide application cost savings by using VRS were between $1420 and $1750 ha−1. The payback time for using VRS was estimated to be between 1.1 and 3.8 years for apple orchards between 4 and 20 ha, respectively, in Ohio.

中文翻译：

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使用激光引导的可变速率喷雾系统改造传统恒速喷雾器的技术经济影响

苹果等特种作物容易受到昆虫和病原体的侵害，需要比中耕作物更多的农药投入，其中很大一部分是脱靶损失，造成不利的环境和社会经济影响。先进的激光制导变速喷雾器 (VRS) 可以提高喷雾沉积的均匀性并最大限度地减少农药浪费，同时保持对昆虫和病原体的功效。尽管有这些优点，但使用激光引导的可变速率喷涂功能改装传统喷涂机会增加其成本。因此，本研究的目的是分析采用 VRS 改装的传统农药喷雾器与用于苹果生产过程中农药施用的常规恒速喷雾器 (CRS) 相比的技术经济性。为覆盖 4 和 20 公顷面积的苹果园开发了技术经济模型，这是美国常见的果园大小。该模型包含了农药施用期间的操作、设备、燃料使用和劳动力成本。数据来源于2016年和2017年美国俄亥俄州果园的田间试验、文献以及美国农业部-ARS和俄亥俄州立大学的原始VRS开发团队。结果表明，与 CRS 相比，VRS 可以减少 60-67% 的农药成本、27-32% 的农药施用时间和 28% 的劳动力和燃料。对于较大的果园，VRS 还降低了设备要求。与 CRS 相比，使用 VRS 每年可节省的农药施用总成本在 1420 美元到 1750 美元 ha-1 之间。对于 4 至 20 公顷的苹果园，使用 VRS 的投资回收期估计为 1.1 至 3.8 年，