{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T11:00:19Z","timestamp":1790420419499,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Wiley","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790380800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790380800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Pest Management Science"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>BACKGROUND<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Effective management of insect pests and diseases in cotton, such as aphids, whiteflies and bollworms, is critically dependent on achieving adequate pesticide coverage throughout the plant canopy. Conventional ground spraying methods are often inefficient and can damage crops, whereas the adoption of unmanned aerial spraying systems (UASS) presents a promising alternative. However, the efficacy of UASS applications is highly dependent on system configuration, and a lack of data on spray deposition within dense cotton canopies hinders the development of effective application protocols. This study investigates how different UASS designs and operational parameters influence pesticide delivery, providing a basis for optimizing pest control strategies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>RESULTS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A field study was conducted in Xinjiang, China, to evaluate the spray performance of 10 distinct UASS in a mature cotton canopy. We found that spray deposits decayed sharply from the upper to the lower canopy layers, posing a critical challenge for controlling pests residing in the mid\u2010to\u2010lower canopy. The choice of UASS configuration significantly influenced spray distribution. Autonomous flight modes provided superior transverse spray uniformity compared to the manual control, ensuring more consistent coverage and reducing the risk of underdosed areas where pests could survive. Multirotor UASS feature a relatively uniform downwash airflow field that improves spray deposition and distribution performance, whereas oil\u2010powered models, compared to electric ones, suffered from unstable airflow, leading to poorer uniformity. Centrifugal nozzles demonstrated superior performance for mid\u2010canopy deposition. A random forest analysis identified control mode, main rotor number and nozzle type\/quantity as the most critical parameters influencing deposition patterns.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>CONCLUSION<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The configuration of a UASS is not a trivial detail but a critical factor determining the potential for effective pest control in cotton. To maximize biological efficacy, particularly against canopy\u2010dwelling pests, spray protocols should prioritize autonomous, multirotor UASS equipped with appropriate nozzles to enhance deposition and penetration. These findings provide a scientific framework for developing targeted UASS application guidelines that can improve pesticide\u2010use efficiency, reduce off\u2010target losses, and form an integral component of modern, sustainable pest management programs in cotton. \u00a9 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/ps.71355","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T10:07:18Z","timestamp":1790417238000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Optimizing pesticide delivery in cotton: impact of unmanned aerial spraying system configurations on canopy deposition and implications for pest control efficacy"],"prefix":"10.1002","author":[{"given":"Mengran","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Science, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"College of Agricultural Unmanned System, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"Centre for Chemicals Application Technology, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huiyuan","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Science, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"College of Agricultural Unmanned System, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"Centre for Chemicals Application Technology, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaofu","family":"Feng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Science, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Li","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Science, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhaoyan","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Science, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"College of Agricultural Unmanned System, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"Centre for Chemicals Application Technology, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jianli","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Science, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"College of Agricultural Unmanned System, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"Centre for Chemicals Application Technology, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"He","family":"Xiongkui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Science, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"College of Agricultural Unmanned System, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"Centre for Chemicals Application Technology, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Forestry Biosecurity  Beijing China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0425-9429","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Changling","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Science, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"College of Agricultural Unmanned System, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"Centre for Chemicals Application Technology, China Agricultural University  Beijing China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Pest Chemical Control  Beijing China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.3390\/agronomy8060085","article-title":"Effects of dosage and spraying volume on cotton defoliants efficacy: a case study based on application of unmanned aerial vehicles","volume":"8","author":"Xin F","year":"2018","journal-title":"Agronomy"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compag.2024.109601","article-title":"A review of unmanned aerial vehicle based remote sensing and machine learning for cotton crop growth monitoring","volume":"227","author":"Aierken N","year":"2024","journal-title":"Comput Electron Agric"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.atech.2022.100047","article-title":"Efficacy of cotton harvest aids applications with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and ground\u2010based field sprayers \u2013 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                    Aphis gossypii\n                  ) using an unmanned aerial vehicle","volume":"76","author":"Nahiyoon SA","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pest Manag Sci"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1007\/s42853-024-00219-y","article-title":"Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs): a novel spraying technique for management of sucking insect pests in cotton ecosystem","volume":"49","author":"Sreenivas AG","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Biosyst Eng"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19937","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2025.3529873","article-title":"YOLO\u2010UP: a high\u2010throughput pest detection model for dense cotton crops utilizing UAV\u2010captured visible light imagery","volume":"13","author":"Sun C","year":"2025","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2023.1093912","article-title":"Evaluation of aerial spraying application of 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