Eye-safe lidar system for pesticide spray drift measurement

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2015Author
Rocadenbosch Burillo, Francesc
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Gregorio López, Eduard;
Rocadenbosch Burillo, Francesc;
Sanz Cortiella, Ricardo;
Rosell Polo, Joan Ramon;
.
(2015)
.
Eye-safe lidar system for pesticide spray drift measurement.
Sensors, 2015, vol. 15, núm. 2, p. 3650-3670.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s150203650.
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Show full item recordAbstract
Spray drift is one of the main sources of pesticide contamination. For this
reason, an accurate understanding of this phenomenon is necessary in order to limit its
effects. Nowadays, spray drift is usually studied by using in situ collectors which only
allow time-integrated sampling of specific points of the pesticide clouds. Previous research
has demonstrated that the light detection and ranging (lidar) technique can be an alternative
for spray drift monitoring. This technique enables remote measurement of pesticide clouds
with high temporal and distance resolution. Despite these advantages, the fact that no lidar
instrument suitable for such an application is presently available has appreciably limited its
practical use. This work presents the first eye-safe lidar system specifically designed for
the monitoring of pesticide clouds. Parameter design of this system is carried out
via signal-to-noise ratio simulations. The instrument is based on a 3-mJ pulse-energy
erbium-doped glass laser, an 80-mm diameter telescope, an APD optoelectronic receiver
and optomechanically adjustable components. In first test measurements, the lidar system has
been able to measure a topographic target located over 2 km away. The instrument has also
been used in spray drift studies, demonstrating its capability to monitor the temporal and distance evolution of several pesticide clouds emitted by air-assisted sprayers at distances
between 50 and 100 m.
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Sensors, 2015, vol. 15, núm. 2, p. 3650-3670European research projects
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