ABSTRACT Several studies determined the theoretical and effective capacity of sugarcane harvesters. However, in field conditions, some variables affect sugarcane production and their effect on machine productivity is difficult to measure. The objective of this study is to analyze the correlation of the operational capacity of sugarcane harvesters with property size, sugarcane yield, total operation time of harvesters, and lost productive time. This correlation will be used to construct models that estimate machine capacity under different working conditions. Harvest data were collected from 41 farms with different sizes and rates of productivity, with the harvesting of 412,207 tons of sugarcane by eight harvesters. Property size was the variable that, in isolation, better represented the operational capacity of harvesters in both mg day−1 and mg h−1, with a positive and strong correlation between these two variables.

ABSTRACT The high susceptibility to diseases of fine table grapes cultivars demand intensive use of pesticides, and the presence of water on the leaf surface can worsen the deposition of these products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the spray deposition in vine leaves in different conditions of leaf wetness, and test the effectiveness of an artificial ventilation method to remove water on the leaf surface. We evaluated the spray deposition in vine applied over: wet canopy (presence of high leaf wetness); canopy dried artificially (dried with air jet from air-assisted sprayer, wind speed of 25 km h−1) and canopy dried naturally (naturally dried leaves and free of water on its surface). Saline marker was used in the spray and the deposition on the canopy was determined by conductimetry. A pesticide application in vine, with the presence of water in the leaf surface, causes losses by run-off and reduces the deposit of spraying. The use of air jet formed by air-assisted sprayer fan is efficient for the removal of water on the vine leaf surface and its use can increase the favorable period for the application of pesticides without causing dilution and losses by run-off of the applied product.

No Brasil, o uso de agrotóxicos consumirá, anualmente, mais de seis milhões de m3 de água como veículo, na cultura da cana-de-açúcar. O menor volume de calda aumenta a autonomia e a capacidade operacional dos pulverizadores, diminuindo o risco de perdas por escorrimento. Este trabalho teve como objetivo comparar diferentes taxas de aplicação do glifosato quanto à eficiência no controle e à deposição da calda em plantas daninhas na operação de “repasse” ou “catação”. Foram executados oito tratamentos com quatro repetições distribuídos em blocos ao acaso. As taxas de aplicação avaliadas foram: 8,8, 73, 96,7, 190, 260, 380 e 467 L ha-1, aplicadas com equipamentos costal de acionamento manual, costal pressurizado e micronizador rotativo tipo CDA. Realizou-se a eficiência no controle das plantas daninhas considerando-se o efeito das aplicações em cada um dos tratamentos. A avaliação qualitativa, comparando-se os depósitos obtidos em cada um dos tratamentos, foi feita pela pulverização sobre as plantas daninhas de uma solução de água e cloreto de sódio com os mesmos equipamentos e nas mesmas condições. Os resultados indicam a possibilidade de utilização de menores volumes de aplicação sem prejuízo da qualidade.

The growing use of pesticides in agriculture will consume more than six million cubic meters of water annually in Brazil, on sugarcane crop alone. The minor volumes of water can give an increase in autonomy and capacity of sprayer, and reduces the chance of loss by runoff. This work has the purpose to compare different rates of the glyphosate herbicide application, concerning efficiency of control and volume deposition on weeds, at operations of “repass” on sugarcane crop. Eight treatments with four replications were studied in randomized blocks. Application rates evaluated were: 8.8, 73, 96.7, 190, 260, 380 and 467 L ha-1, using a pressurized knapsack sprayer and another with hand operation and a rotative micronizer type CDA. Efficiency on weed control was evaluated considering obtained application effects on each treatment. Qualitative evaluation, comparing obtained deposition on each treatment, was done spraying on weeds with a solution of water plus sodium chloride, using the same equipament and conditions. The results showed the possibility to use lower flow rate of application without problems over the quality.

As técnicas de sensoriamento remoto e o uso dos Sistemas de Informações Geográficas (SIG) facilitam a elaboração de mapas temáticos. Mapas com informações detalhadas são importantes instrumentos para que os municípios conheçam melhor sua realidade. O trabalho foi desenvolvido no município de Bandeirantes, Estado do Paraná, Brasil, visando a analisar sua estrutura fundiária, baseada nas classes de tamanho dos imóveis rurais. A partir de mapas de imóveis rurais e de cartas topográficas do IBGE, obteve-se o mapa fundiário digital do município. Imagens orbitais e fotografias aéreas foram utilizadas para o ajuste das linhas divisórias dos imóveis, cuja validação se deu por incursões a campo. O número e o tamanho dos imóveis de 1950 foram comparados com dados de 2006, e a distribuição e concentração dos imóveis foram analisadas utilizando o estimador de intensidade Kernel. Os imóveis com área menor que o módulo rural se concentram nas microbacias mais distantes da sede do município e correspondem a 60% do total. Dos demais, 31% são pequenas, 7% médias e 2% grandes propriedades, que ocupam, respectivamente, 16%, 27%, 25% e 32% da área do município.

Remote sensing techniques and the use of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have facilitated the elaboration of thematic maps. Maps with detailed information are important instruments so that the cities can know better their reality. The work was developed in the city of Bandeirantes, Paraná State, Brazil, aiming to analyze its agrarian structure, based on classes of size of the rural properties. Starting from maps of rural properties and topographical maps of the IBGE, the digital agrarian map of the municipality was obtained. Satellite images and aerial photos were used for the adjustment of the properties lines, whose validation was made through field inspection. The number and size of the properties in 1950 were compared with data from 2006 and the distribution and concentration of the properties were analyzed using the intensity Kernel estimator. The properties with an area less than the agricultural module are in the most distant watersheds and correspond to 60% of the total. Considering the other ones, 31% are small properties, 7% medium properties and 2% large properties that respectively occupy 16%, 27%, 25% and 32% of the city’s area.

Grande parte dos viticultores da região Norte do Paraná pratica a condução da videira em caramanchão, com mais de 50 aplicações fitossanitárias em um único ciclo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar essas aplicações com turboatomizador assistido de ar no sistema de pulverização, por meio do depósito de calda nas folhas e perdas. O trabalho foi desenvolvido utilizando-se de cinco condições de aplicação, variando-se tamanho de gotas e volume de aplicação, com quatro repetições, em blocos casualizados. A avaliação do sistema foi feita com a aplicação de uma calda de cloreto de potássio (5%), sendo o depósito nas folhas medido pela condutividade elétrica, e as perdas, pela comparação entre volumes aplicado e recuperado nas folhas. Para todas as condições, as perdas foram superiores a 48%. Os maiores volumes aplicados apresentaram as maiores deposições, e gotas maiores apresentaram maior depósito e mesma perda em relação a gotas menores. Os menores volumes não diferiram com relação à deposição, destacando-se as condições gotas maiores a volume baixo e a testemunha utilizada pelo viticultor, que apresentaram as menores perdas. Os resultados demonstram que o turboatomizador é uma importante ferramenta para maximizar as operações de pulverização em uva, e as alterações na configuração das pontas de pulverização devem ser mais estudadas.

Winegrowers in the north of Paraná State carry on grapevines in arbour and pesticide applications could overcome more than fifty times in a cycle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the features of the air assisted sprayer application system by spray volume deposition and losses. Five treatments and four randomized blocks were used. The treatments varied the droplet size and application volume. The evaluation of the system was done with a 5% spray solution containing KCl being the leaves spray deposit measured through electric conductivity and the losses by the comparison among applied and recovered spray volumes on the leaves. For all of the conditions, the losses were above 48%, the conditions of larger volumes presented the largest depositions and larger droplets presented larger deposit and same loss in relation to smaller droplets. The smallest volumes did not differ regarding the deposition standing out the larger droplets to low volume conditions and the witness used by the winegrower (small droplets and low volume), that presented the smallest losses. The results demonstrate that the air-assisted sprayer is an important tool to maximize the pulverization operations in grape and the alterations of nozzles configuration should be better studied.