Drones are now more or less routinely used by farmers across the globe to determine soil characteristics, check crop conditions, monitor irrigation systems and spray crops. But not for harvesting crops, yet. Continue reading
Category Archives: Agriculture
Hybrid Drones Open New Opportunities for Farmers
Drone spraying has been widely used in Southeast Asian countries such as China and Japan with great results. Now the trend is spreading to the US and Europe as well. Continue reading
Drone Irrigation Technology in Africa
https://youtu.be/EiGP1ZP6_iA
Nathan Zecks Mazvazva, a 25-year-old farmer in Zimbabwe, stands in his sugarcane field, marveling at a recent savings of 60% on irrigation costs. Continue reading
Pakistan to Produce Locust-Countering Drones
Pakistan’s Ministry of Science and Technology and Abn Satuma (Pvt) Ltd have signed a MoU for development of UAVs/drones for agriculture applications. The drones will specifically be used for countering locust attacks. Continue reading
XAG Drones Increase Sugar Yield in South Africa
XAG P Series drone on the work of sugarcane ripening in SA
Drones, with specialty spraying technology, was deployed for a recent sugarcane ripening trail in South Africa, showing an evident increase in the amount of sugar extracted from these canes. This might signal a potential improvement in profit margin for the cane growers, who have been incurring loss from the country’s ailing sugar industry. Continue reading
Drones Help Tackle Tree Disease in Scottish Highlands
The high-flying devices use thermal imaging technology to assess the lay of the land beneath forest canopies. They were brought in by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) to plan woodland management in the face of a “devastating” plant pathogen. Continue reading
Drones to Release Sterile Mosquitoes to Control Zika
A new study from the International Atomic Energy (IAEA) uses drones to increase the effectiveness and reduce costs related to using the nuclear technique that aims to suppress disease-carrying mosquitoes. This is a significant step in deploying this method on a large-scale basis to control the mosquitoes causing dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. Continue reading
Drone-Delivered Soap Bubbles Help Pollinate Flowers
As pollinators, bees are hard to beat. Still, that hasn’t prevented researchers from working on a high-tech alternative: drones that blow soap bubbles to transport pollen to a flower. It’s a “really cool” approach, says Henry Williams, a roboticist at the University of Auckland, who was not involved in the work. But some biologists are skeptical that drones will ever be an effective replacement for bees. Continue reading