PlantwisePlus Blog

Helicopter piloted by remote control sprays grape vineyards in California (Photo: AP)

Crop-spraying drones have now been granted the stamp of approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States. The particular drone which was approved, pictured above in California, is equipped to carry tanks of fertilizers and pesticides, and intended to reach difficult areas to access by ground-based spraying equipment and manned planes. This is not the first time drones have been used in agriculture in the US, but they had not previously been approved for this purpose. Smaller drones have been used for some years by farmers as means of capturing aerial photographs of large areas of crops, aiding identification of unhealthy crop patches. This will be the first time in the country that drones will be spraying and distributing agricultural inputs. Read more