Precision herbicide drones launch strikes on weeds

[Are_grits_groceries]

UNLEASH the robot weedkillers. A drone zipping over fields in Denmark can spot the tiny colour variations that give away the presence of weeds in amongst the crops. Logging the coordinates, it can then send a ground vehicle in to spray the densest patches, reducing the need to spray whole fields.

This is the ASETA project, led by Anders La Cour-Harbo of Aalborg University in Denmark. It aims to reduce herbicide use by concentrating weedkiller only in places where it is needed most.

The project uses a camera attached to a UAV to survey the fields. The camera is tuned to pick up parts of the light spectrum that correspond to the reflective signatures of the weeds and crops it is looking for – for example, thistle sticks out because it absorbs yellow light more than surrounding beet plants. Information is sent back to a central computer, where it is used to update previous flight maps of the fields.

The system then identifies areas that could be dense with weeds, and sends the ground vehicle in for a closer look and possible spraying. It's all automatic: the only human input is defining the boundaries of the field to be surveyed. The drone system is currently being trialled in Denmark see video at (bit.ly/cropsprayer).
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Video clip: http://bcove.me/6gbnyq27
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23783-precision-herbicide-drones-launch-strikes-on-weeds.html#.Uda_oee1GSq

It has to be better than older methods. However, precision and the effects on animals remains to be seen.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. Hint to farmers. Don't wear yellow or olive hats, shirts, pants. . . .

[Buzz Clik]

2. "the effects on animals remains to be seen." ?

What sort of effects on animals are being suggested?

[Are_grits_groceries]

3. They did not specify what pesticide would be used.

However,as the very first sentence of their paper notes, they are dangerous in some way. It is a Faustian bargain.
Animals are not the only issue. Water supplies and other factors can be affected.
Hopefully this will cut down on the amount of pesticide used. As someone pointed out, there will be an unmanned craft loaded with a poison on the loose if there is a breakdown.
If I knew the exact pesticide used, I could tell you specifically about problems.
Google pesticides to your hearts content. I'm sure here will be a great deal of info about them.

The use of pesticides is detrimental to the environment. However, farmers must treat their fields against weed infestations to keep their business profitable. The current practice is to spray the entire field even if the weed distribution is heterogeneous. This herbicide discharge can be greatly reduced if the application is targeted only at actual infestations instead. However, it is required that the infestations are discovered and identified before they begin to compete with the crops. Practically, this is not possible if the weeds have to be surveyed by humans; this is simply too costly.
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http://vbn.aau.dk/files/73001314/paper.pdf

[Buzz Clik]

4. Just checking. I am fully educated about pesticides; that was not my question.

My question is if you view the impact on animals in a precision application system to be worse than in standard, blanket applications of the same herbicide.

[kestrel91316]

5. This isn't about pesticides. It's about herbicides.

[Agony]

6. flying pesticide bomb

"On one hand the regulatory folks say this is five gallons of flying pesticide with no one on board. On the other hand they see that it's a very efficient technique."

jfyi - herbicides are pesticides (as are nematicides, molluscicides etc.)

the issue is clearly what happens when the inevitable equipment failure happens...

cheers,
Agony

[kestrel91316]

7. Herbicides are for killing plants. Pesticides are for killing animals.