ABSTRACT

Recent trends in planting, toward lower seeding rates with more distance between seeds, have generated opportunities for improved application efficiency of in-furrow chemicals. Focusing the chemical application at the seed, and minimizing the chemical applied between seeds could reduce in-furrow inputs significantly. A seed-specific applicator was developed to apply discrete pulses of liquid chemical to individual seeds at planting. The applicator was prototyped in the UT Sensors and Controls Laboratory and field-tested in Spring 2002. Testing evaluated (1) the concept of seed-specific treatment and (2) the accuracy of the prototype applicator. In cotton plots inoculated with seedling disease, seed-specific fungicide application produced plant stands statistically identical to those produced by conventional fungicide application, while reducing fungicide inputs by 50%. In the accuracy tests, seed coverage varied from 55 to 98% depending on planter speed (2, 4, 6 mph) and spray band length (1 to 2.6 in.). A conceptual design for a multi-row seed-specific applicator has been developed, and additional field tests are planned for 2003.