Crop-spraying drones consist hi-tech tools of farmer's equipment and help him control
his crops better and more precisely, as well as make him able to intervene with
precision wherever and whenever necessary by saving resources and protecting
the environment.
Commercial models of crop-spraying drones which exist in market in our days are 40-60 times more effective than spraying crops manually. With their special radar they can scan the ground and calculate the correct distance they must have from plants and how much spraying they need. They typically operate at 8 m/s flight speed and can be in automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode of operation. Crop-spraying drones are made with the use of anticorrosive materials to withstand the dust and erosion caused by spraying materials as they are also waterproof. They are usually equipped with 6 or 8 electric motors so that they can pick up 10 kg of spraying liquid and have the ability to spray 7,000-10,000 sq.m. of crop per hour.
The advantages of using crop-spraying drones are multiple for the farmer, such
as saving and rationalizing the use of fertilizers and plant protection
products, as well as optimizing irrigation. The farmer has greater control this
way and the choice to apply diversified practices to areas of his crops with
different needs. In addition, resources saving, rational irrigation and correct use of plant protection products and
fertilizers make farming more environmentally friendly.
According to all these said above, infrared cameras have been used on
flying drones recently to identify nutrient deficiencies in the soil, so that
farmers be able to manage crop problems. Once a problem is identified, inspection of
the field is necessary to take place in order the farmer to decide if there is a lack of water, a
nutritional disorder or if the crop is affected by any disease. The usual
method was to spray the whole crop for a problem that focus only to one part of
the field. However, with crop-spraying drones, the farmer can spray only a part of the crop
where the problem exists, without wasting resources and filling the whole field
with chemicals.
The world of small agribusinesses is a sector where the use of crop-spraying
drones can flourish as their prices range from $8,000-$15,000, making their
acquisition by a small farmer accessible. The small farmer only as a winner
comes out with the use of this technological application, as he can save time,
money and labor, and of course increase his profits.