New software allows releasing biological controllers in orchards through drones

INIA Chile, together with the Foundation for Agrarian Innovation (FIA), developed software that allows the release of biological controllers in orchards and crops through drones or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle), more quickly and reducing the expenses to the sector.

Luis Devotto, the executor in charge of the project, explains that they want the drone to work in a "smart" way and that it knows what it has to do before taking off. First the drone should monitor the field which is divided into zones, where the pest presence is established as low, medium or high.

Then this data is transferred to the software which generates a plan of the drone’s flight. As a result, all the operator has to do is take off and follow the instructions generated by the program, while the drone hovers at a certain speed and height and stops in certain places to release biological controllers that affect the orchard or field.

Drones equipped with this software can benefit not only large companies, but also small producers, thanks to its speed, mobility, and capacity to serve many properties in the short term.

The software is linked to Google Earth and works with iOS and Android.

source: radioagricultura.cl

photo: alidroneschool.com