Author:

Keywords:

orchard canopy, canopy architecture, airflow

Abstract:

Because of high costs for pest control and of intensified concerns for environmental protection, the need for improvements in spray efficiency and for drift reduction are more critical than ever before. Inefficiencies in spray applications are related to a complex combination of factors, including environmental conditions, tree architecture, development stages as well as machine design, calibration and operation. Accurate prediction of airflow through a canopy is difficult due to the complexity in the structure of vegetation elements and the complex process of air momentum transport within the canopy. This further makes it difficult to analyse particle deposition on plant canopies and drift so as to optimize design and operation parameters to equipments. In this work a 3D orchard canopy structure is developed by means of a plant growth model, which considers the phenomenological plant growing behaviour and effects of temperature and pruning. The resulting canopy architecture is introduced into a CFD package in order to model the 3D airflow through the canopy. The real effects of the canopy on the airflow distribution are investigated. The simulations are used to identify simplified canopy models that can be used in drift prediction models, which are mainly based on porous media theory.