Effects of Leaf Surface Energy on Pesticidal Performance

Surface energy is widely used in the industry to predict behavior of spray droplets on solid surfaces. The targets of pesticide applications which are used extensively in agricultural production are mainly plant leaf surfaces. Digitization of leaf surfaces to estimate the spread and adhesion of a pesticide application is an important approach in providing descriptive information. In this regards, from intensive agricultural products Triticum aestivum L., Citrus sinensis, Fragaria ananassa, Vitis vinifera L., Cucumis sativus, Capsicum annuum L. culture plants, Elymus repens and Sinapis arvensis from weeds were used to determine surface energy. The leaf surface energies were determined by evaluating the contact angles of the drips while obtained from surface tension and its components from known liquids pure water, diiodomethane and formamide liquids on the surface of the leaves according to five different methods. Wu and Equation of State methods have been found to give more accurate results than other methods. Elymus repens and Triticum aestivum L. plants among the statistically three significant grouped leaves were reduce the spreading and sticking of droplets applied on the leaves by providing a more spherical droplet formation. The Fragaria ananassa leaves have encouraged the higher surface energy that they have the spread of the drips on the leaf surface.