PHOTO: DRONE4AGRO PHOTO: DJI
DRONE TECHNOLOGY ▶▶▶
Drones rise to the challenge of replacing manual crop care
BY PETER HILL A
fter a few minutes spent on the of- fice computer entering flight and insecticide treatment plans, a click of the ‘start’ button on the autono-
mous crop management programme sets things in motion. The drone garage door swings open, there’s a rapid rise in the clearly audible buzz from a hundred propellers and a swarm of spraying drones heads off to work as a co-ordinated team to tackle aphids threatening the farmer’s crops. This may be an imaginary scenario for now, but given the rapid pace of drone develop- ment – and more especially the software to
While aviation and pesticides control authorities weigh up arguments for permitting crop treatments from drones, manufacturers are pushing ahead with developments to make drone spraying and spreading a practical reality.
control them both individually and in packs – it is certainly not inconceivable for the near future. Crop treatments from individual drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are already widespread across Asia, while aviation and other relevant authorities elsewhere in the world are now allowing drones to be used for limited and specific trials and, in some cas- es, commercial operations in agriculture, hor- ticulture, viticulture and forestry. Spraying for
disease, weed and pest control, spreading mi- crogranular pesticides and fertilisers – and even beneficial insects – as well as planting new forests are among the diverse uses now being found for drones.
Replacing back-pack sprayers For the most part, drones make sense where they can replace labour-intensive and poten- tially harmful use of backpack sprayers and
Is this the future for crop spraying? It is according to the vision of Winfried Rijssenbeek at Drone4Agro, a start-up aiming to develop a drone for agricultural applications with 100 kg payload and 20 minutes flight duration.
32 ▶ FUTURE FARMING | 25 May 2018
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