Abstract: In response to the pronounced pressure fluctuations in pipelines of pulse width modulation (PWM) variable-rate spraying systems, which stem from the synchronous actuation of solenoid valves, this study introduces a staggered-phase driving approach aimed at mitigating such fluctuations. Leveraging a C37 controller, a PWM variable-rate control system was developed, enabling operation with varying phase differences. Subsequently, a dedicated experimental platform was designed and constructed to comprehensively investigate the pressure fluctuation characteristics, atomization performance, and droplet deposition behavior of the PWM variable-rate spraying system.Pressure fluctuation test results demonstrate that the staggered-phase driving mode effectively reduces the peak-to-peak value and coefficient of variation (CV) of system pressure fluctuations. Moreover, with the increase of duty cycle, the decreasing trend of pressure fluctuations gradually diminishes. Notably, as the duty cycle increases, the rate of decrease in pressure fluctuations gradually diminishes. Specifically, at duty cycles of 20% and 70%, the CV of pressure fluctuations under a 120° phase difference exhibits reductions of 66.61% and 19.48%, respectively, when compared to the same-phase driving condition. The phase difference range between 60° and 90° demonstrates the least sensitivity to changes in the duty cycle, while a 120° phase difference consistently yields the lowest CV values across different duty cycles.Comparative analysis further indicates that the statistical parameters of droplet size in the staggered-phase driven system are marginally lower than those of the same-phase driven system. Additionally, the relative span (RS) of droplets in the staggered-phase system is consistently smaller, with the most significant reduction of 5.56% observed at a 50% duty cycle. Droplet deposition experiments highlight that the CV of droplet coverage in the staggered-phase driven PWM spraying system is decreased by 31.75% relative to the in-phase driven system. This improvement underscores the efficacy of the staggered-phase driving approach in enhancing the uniformity of liquid medicine deposition under low-frequency control conditions.Collectively, these findings not only provide a theoretical foundation for the development and application of PWM variable-rate spraying technology but also offer practical guidance for the optimization of precision variable-rate pesticide application equipment.