Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. In the upstate of South Carolina, we have some specialty fruit producers who grow crops on steep hillsides, and worldwide these conditions are not unusual. These fields are hard enough to maneuver when conditions are perfect, but after a few days of rain, not only are the crops susceptible to fungal infections but it’s nearly impossible to get conventional spray equipment into the field if a pesticide application is necessary.
It won’t be long before farmers are using drones to make precision, targeted applications of necessary treatments by using drones. Already in use in some countries, these unmanned airborne vehicles are capable of making precise and varied applications to the crops in question. Since drone photographic filters identify the exact area that needs treatment, the growers use less material and less fuel to deliver pesticides exactly where they need to be.
