Farmers are being encouraged to spray pesticides using Drones over jasmine fields in Sathyamangalam, Erode district since it is both effective and cost-efficient.
Drone technology was used to spray pesticides and fertilizers on jasmine fields by a group of professors and students from the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology in Sathyamangalam. Before settling on a standard operating procedure and the insecticide/water ratio required for jasmine fields, the team conducted multiple field testing. Drones in agri-fields are beneficial for targeted pesticide treatment on jasmine leaves, according to the research. When compared to manual spraying, drone spraying eliminates the labor issue while also reducing cost and time.
The drones used in the trial run had a capacity of 10 liters and could fly for up to half an hour.
Small farmers with a few acres have been impacted by labor and the high expense of manual spraying, according to Krishnamoorthy, a farmer from Ramapailur village. "When compared to conventional spraying, the quantity of insecticide utilized via drone spraying is lowered by 300 ml/acre," he stated.
The innovative method might be developed and enhanced for sugarcane, coconut, and areca nut farms, according to members of the Institute's team. They further claimed that by creating such standard operating procedures for specific plantations, agri-drones will assist farmers in resolving labor shortages and time constraints.
Furthermore, farmers' health is frequently affected by breathing harmful fertilizers during manual spraying, but such problems may be avoided by using agri-drones. Entrepreneurs and budding engineers would find these drones to be a profitable business opportunity, they added.
