Applying pesticides with a Drone/UAV is fast becoming a common procedure in Agriculture, Horticulture and all sorts of other industries in Australia, but there are many minefields aerial applicators face when dealing with pesticides.
Most agricultural chemicals including herbicides or insecticides were developed and tested long before aerial spraying drones came into existence. Every time a new variant of a chemical product is released (especially Glyphosate) or a generic one is produced they just copy and paste the all-important product label.
A lot of labels contain “aerial application” instructions but once again they are not specific to UAV, they are often generic and broad which depends greatly on what is being treated. Although a UAV/Drone is considered “an aircraft” most of these instructions were developed for Helicopters or fixed wing airplanes. When I face this situation or treating something new, I sought advice from a company rep or a local Agronomist because the label information is not specific to UAV Application.
Another variable is no two application sites are the same, there are climatic influences also differences in altitude and other pests competing alongside the target species.
To my knowledge I only know of two UAV Specific APVMA Permits, one is for the aerial application of “Graslan” herbicide for “Calotrope” (only in Queensland) and the other using UAV’s to control various weeds in natural ecosystem (non-agricultural). The reason why these permits are created and approved is because of trials and monitoring efficacy, which provides proof that the treatment actually works and I think this is a good concept to help update Chemical Labels.
In the end it’s quite difficult to come up with a one treatment fits all Solution, But when the labels were developed in the past it came from years of plot and lab trials. The products where tested using traditional equipment like boomsprays, knapsacks and various specialised equipment. it would be great to see the same process for UAV’s.
In the future I don’t only want to see videos of drones applying product, I also want to see documented efficacy results (you know the thing you actually paid for!), Because this is not only beneficial for the client but also the industry. The more accurate information out there treating specific pests with certain chemicals whilst using UAV’s, the better the results are going to be especially with risk of chemical resistance and eradication of a serious destructive pest or weed.
One of my biggest concerns (besides safety) is if the application worked and how well it worked! And also that my clients are happy with the results.
Thanks for reading this post and if you are interested in my drone spraying service you can contact me through the “contact “page or “Request a quote “
Look forward to flying with you soon
Cheers😉,
Joel Gilbert
