Original Articles Open access

Design and development of an anti-drift device for maize (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) intercropping systems

Authors

  • Li Jiang – articles in this journal School of Agricultural Engineering and High-tech Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment and Intelligence of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
  • Yuehan Li – articles in this journal School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
  • Wei Lu – articles in this journal School of Agricultural Engineering and High-tech Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment and Intelligence of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
  • Guanqun Wang – articles in this journal Corresponding author Email School of Agricultural Engineering and High-tech Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment and Intelligence of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang; School of Automotive Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, China.
Published
6 May 2026
Section
Original Articles
DOI
10.4081/jae.2026.1874

Abstract

Spray drift can severely reduce crop yields in maize (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) strip intercropping systems. A novel hood structure for a spray unit was developed to mitigate herbicide drift. By integrating the structural stability of trapezoidal profiles with the aerodynamic advantages of arcuate shapes, a hooded spray unit was designed. A three-factor, three-level orthogonal experiment was conducted to optimize key structural parameters.. Analysis of variance revealed that opening width (L=1200mm) and hood height (H=650mm) significantly influenced drift rate, while inclination angle (θ=80°) had a lesser effect. Simulation results showed that the optimized hood reduced droplet mass-center displacement by up to 21.89 cm and lowered drift rate by 27.4% compared to a without-hood sprayer. Comparative analyses of four hood designs further confirmed the superior performance of the proposed structure in promoting deposition and suppressing drift. Prototype experiments on an intercropping-specific boom sprayer show droplet deposition densities on non-target strips remained below 2.1 droplets cm⁻², demonstrating effective isolation. These findings indicate that the novel hood design meets agronomic requirements for maize-soybean intercropping and offers a practical solution for precision weed control with reduced environmental impact.

Keywords

References

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