STATISTICAL COMPARISON OF THE AGDISP MODEL WITH DEPOSIT DATA

An aerial spray Agricultural Dispersal (AGDISP) model was tested against quantitative field data. The microbial pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was sprayed as fine spray from a helicopter over a flat site in various meteorological conditions. Droplet deposition on evenly spaced Kromekote cards, 0.15 m above the ground, was measured with image analysis equipment. Six complete data sets out of the 12 trials were selected for data comparison. A set of statistical parameters suggested by the American Meteorological Society and other authors was applied for comparisons of the model prediction with the ground deposit data. The results indicated that AGDISP tended to overpredict the average volume deposition by a factor of two. The sensitivity test of the AGDISP model to the input wind direction showed that the model may not be sensitive to variations in wind direction within 10 degrees relative to aircraft flight path.