By Kapil Arora and Gentry Sorenson et.al
Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) or remotely piloted or operated aircraft are seeing an increase in agricultural applications including but not limited to plant growth monitoring, plant health imagery and land surveying and terrain analysis. One new area of growth is pesticide spraying.
In the past, pilots have operated fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters to perform spraying over agricultural fields. Change is on the horizon. Small, remotely piloted aircraft and drones mounted with spraying systems are now being used to apply pesticides in the U.S. and here in Iowa. Drones for spraying pesticides can be handy when traditional aircraft are not available or are too expensive, or treatment areas are relatively small.
To demonstrate the operating capabilities and characteristics of spray drones, specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Digital Ag Innovation Laboratory have scheduled a Spray Drone Field Day in Havelock, Iowa, on Sept. 6. The day will start at 10:30 a.m. with the morning session devoted to aerial applications of drones in agriculture. Registration starts at 10 a.m. and lunch is provided at no cost to registered participants.