Page 60 - Free State Summer 2023
P. 60
TOTAL PLANT MANAGEMENT A Stanton Gill
The Future for Spraying in a Nursery
n June 6 , I attended a technology day at Penn One device caught my attention. It is an autonomous
th
State University Experiment Station in Biglerville, low volume sprayer with large treaded wheels that is
OPA. I went mainly to see the demonstration of hooked to a satellite connecting device with a global
spray drones since this is a project our IPM team has positioner. It can be programmed to run down the row
been working on for the last 3 years. It turns out it was a of an orchard or nursery plants, applying fungicides or
Maryland based company using a DJI 40 drone with a insecticides without a person being present. It has two
10-gallon tank that can lift 106 lbs. It was big, much bigger low-volume spray cannons that can be directed to spray
than the 2.5-gallon capacity spray drone we use, and they low, medium, or high, to cover the canopy. You map out
were using it over fruit tree rows. They are using spray your nursery and the rows and send this device out to
drones in an orchard in Boonsboro. They announced they apply. It is made by a Chinese company and sold through
will have a demo day later in the summer in Boonsboro. a west coast distributor for around $20,000 - $25,000.
While I was there, I looked around at some of the other It is an interesting idea but needs some improvements.
technology being used. Their Agric engineer, Dr. Long and The agriculture engineer team at Penn State Experiment
his graduate student team, demonstrated several projects station are planning on installing a camera system that
they are working on to automate work in the horticulture would connect to your computer so you could follow the
industry. Some of their work with multi-spectrum cameras wheeled drone through the field and direct the spray
pairs well with some of the work our IPM drone team is cannons on the part of the tree canopy you want to hit.
working on in 2023.
Auto sprayer Chinese auto sprayer for nursery
60 SUMMER 2023 • Free State News
