The Effect of Nozzle Type and Height on the Performance of the Ferto-15 Drone

M. Asqar Asqari Syafnur; Mahmud Achmad; Sitti Nur Faridah; Abdul Azis; Syahrial Sabaniah

doi:10.70124/salaga.v4i1.2290

PDF

Published: 2026-06-30

DOI: 10.70124/salaga.v4i1.2290

Keywords:

Agricultural Drone , Ferto-15 , Flight Height , Nozzle Type

Issue: Volume 04, No. 1, June 2026

Section: Articles

M. Asqar Asqari Syafnur Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Hasanuddin University, Makassar , Indonesia

Mahmud Achmad Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Hasanuddin University, Makassar , Indonesia

Sitti Nur Faridah Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Hasanuddin University, Makassar , Indonesia

Abdul Azis Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Hasanuddin University, Makassar , Indonesia

Syahrial Sabaniah Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Hasanuddin University, Makassar , Indonesia

Abstract:

The efficiency of agricultural spraying drones heavily relies on hardware selection, such as nozzles, and operational parameters like flight height, which creates a trade-off between spray coverage and drift. This study aimed to analyze the effect of three nozzle types (flat fan, even fan, cone) and three flight heights (2 m, 2.5 m, and 3 m) on spray area, drift, efficiency, and uniformity (CU and DU) on the Ferto-15 drone. The research method employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) under static and dynamic test conditions, with spray volume data collected using catch cans. The results indicated that flight height was the most dominant factor; increasing height expanded the spray area but increased drift and decreased efficiency in dynamic tests. Nozzle type and its interaction with height had a pronounced effect under dynamic conditions, where the Flat-Fan nozzle consistently produced the most superior distribution uniformity (CU and DU). The main conclusion shows that the most optimal configuration was the use of the Flat-Fan nozzle at a 2-meter height, which provided the best balance between high deposition efficiency (95.89%), low drift (0.411 L), and superior uniformity (CU 89.89%). This finding demonstrates that achieving effective spraying performance depends on the synergistic combination of nozzle type and flight height.

ASAE Standards. (2015). S341.4: Test Procedure for Dry-Fertilizer Spreaders. St. Joseph, MI: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers

Biglia, A., Grella, M., Bloise, N., Comba, L., Mozzanini, E., Sopegno, A., & Gay, P. (2022). UAV-spray application in vineyards: Flight modes and spray system adjustment effects on canopy deposit, coverage, and off-target losses. Science of the total environment, 845, 157292. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157292

Bolat, A., & Özlüoymak, Ö. B. (2020). Evaluation of performances of different types of spray nozzles in site-specific pesticide spraying. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 41(4), 1199-1212. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2020v41n4p1199

Chen, P., Douzals, J. P., Lan, Y., Cotteux, E., Delpuech, X., Pouxviel, G., & Zhan, Y. (2022). Characteristics of unmanned aerial spraying systems and related spray drift: A review. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 870956.

Delpuech, X., Pouxviel, G., Cotteux, E., Verges, A., & Douzals, J. P. (2022). Evaluation of aerial drift during drone spraying of an artificial vineyard. IVES Technical Reviews, vine and wine.

FAO. (2021). The State of Food and Agriculture 2021: Making agrifood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Gujarati, D. N. (2009). Basic Econometrics (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Hofman, V., & Solseng, E. (2018). Spray Equipment and Calibration. NDSU Extension Service.

Li, L., Hu, Z., Liu, Q., Yi, T., Han, P., Zhang, R., & Pan, L. (2022). Effect of flight velocity on droplet deposition and drift of combined pesticides sprayed using an unmanned aerial vehicle sprayer in a peach orchard. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 981494.

Pan, Z., Lie, D., Qiang, L., Shaolan, H., Shilai, Y., Yande, L., & Haiyang, P. (2016). Effects of citrus tree-shape and spraying height of small unmanned aerial vehicle on droplet distribution. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 9(4), 45-52

PT Buaya Aerotech. (2022). Spesifikasi Teknis Drone Ferto-15.

Qin, W. C., Qiu, B. J., Xue, X. Y., Chen, C., Xu, Z. F., & Zhou, Q. Q. (2016). Droplet deposition and control effect of insecticides sprayed with an unmanned aerial vehicle against plant hoppers. Crop Protection, 85, 79–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2016.03.018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2016.03.018

Souza, F. G., Portes, M. F., Silva, M. V, Teixeira, M. M., & Júnior, M. R. F. (2022). Impact of Sprayer Drone Flight Height on droplet Spectrum in Mountainous Coffee Plantation. Brazilian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, 26(12), 901–906. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n12p901-906

Teske, M. E., Hewitt, A. J., & Valcore, D. L. (2019). The Role of Small Droplets in Drift. Journal of ASTM International, 16(2), 1-10

Thạch, H. V., & Vũ, Á. N. (2022). Investigating droplet size and spraying span of pesticide Drone. VNUHCM Journal of Engineering and Technology, 5(2), 1497-1507

Triantaphyllou, E. (2000). Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods: A Comparative Study. Kluwer Academic Publishers. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3157-6

Wang, D., Xu, S., Li, Z., & Cao, W. (2022). Analysis of the influence of parameters of a spraying system designed for UAV application on the spraying quality based on Box–Behnken response surface method. Agriculture, 12(2), 131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12020131

Wang, J., Ma, C., Chen, P., Yao, W., Yan, Y., Zeng, T., & Lan, Y. (2023). Evaluation of aerial spraying application of multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle for Areca catechu protection. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1093912 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1093912

Wu, X., Jia, Y., Luo, B., Chen, C., Wang, Y., Kang, F., & Li, J. (2022). Deposition law of flat-fan nozzle for pesticide application in horticultural plants. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25165/j.ijabe.20221504.7502

Jian, Z. H. A. N. G., Chao, Z. H. A. N. G., Qing, C. H. E. N., Hongping, Z. H. O. U., Fengbo, Y. A. N. G., & Yu, R. U. (2022). Effect of ambient wind speed on downwash airflow and droplet deposition for six-rotor UAV. Nongye Jixie Xuebao/Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Machinery, 53(8).