Efficacy of Two Tank-Mix Adjuvants to Control Mango Thrips Using a UAV Sprayer

Thrips have become some of the most challenging pests to control in mango production due to their short developmental time, hidden locations and resistance to pesticides, in the tropical regions of China. To improve pesticides efficacy, the tank-mix adjuvants Qi Gong (QG) and the thrips attractant Lv Dian (LD) were added when using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to control thrips. The surface tension, contact angle on mango leaves, droplet size, spreading rate, and drying time of the two tank-mix adjuvants were determined. The effects of the two tank-mix adjuvants using a UAV sprayer on the droplet coverage and control efficacy against thrips on mango inflorescences were tested through field trials. The results showed that both QG and LD could reduce the surface tension of the liquid and the contact angle on mango leaves and could increase the spreading performance. The droplet coverage in the upper layer of the canopy was about 2% higher than that in the lower layer, and the coverage at the top of the panicle was 5% higher than that at the bottom. QG improved the deposition coverage of mango inflorescences by about 31.5%. The addition of QG increased the efficacy by 18.24% and 8.03%, respectively, at florescence and the young fruit stage. The addition of the LD increased the efficacy by 24.56% and 14.38%, respectively, at florescence and the young fruit stage. These test results can provide a scientific basis for the control of mango thrips with UAVs.

Automated summary

Thrips are challenging pests in mango production due to their resistance to pesticides, hidden locations, and short developmental time. This study tested the use of tank-mix adjuvants Qi Gong (QG) and the thrips attractant Lv Dian (LD) in combination with a UAV sprayer for thrips control. The results showed that QG and LD reduced surface tension and contact angle, improving droplet spreading. The addition of QG increased deposition coverage by 31.5% and efficacy by 18.24% and 8.03% at florescence and the young fruit stage, respectively. LD increased efficacy by 24.56% and 14.38% at florescence and the young fruit stage, respectively. These findings provide a scientific basis for using UAVs to control mango thrips.