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Agricultural Drone Sprayer

An agricultural drone sprayer is a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to broadcast liquid pesticide, herbicide or foliar nutrient over standing crops. Indian deployments are dominated by the DJI Agras T-series and indigenous platforms such as the Vigneshwara drone. Operation is governed by the Drone Rules 2021 and the DGCA Kisan Drone Standard Operating Procedure.

Function

The drone hovers two to four metres above the canopy and atomises spray liquid through downward-facing nozzles; the rotor downwash drives droplets through the canopy. The same airframe can be reconfigured with a hopper module for granular broadcast (Drone Fertiliser Spreader).

Design and specifications

Reference machines such as the DJI Agras T30 carry a 30-litre tank, deliver a 9-metre swath at a pump output of about 8 L/min, and cover roughly 40 acres per hour in transit flight. Larger T40 platforms scale up to 40-litre payloads. Mission-planning software automates flight lines from a field boundary uploaded over the Digital Sky platform.

Operation

Pilots must hold a DGCA Remote Pilot Certificate issued by a DGCA-approved Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO), and each airframe requires a Unique Identification Number (UIN) issued through Digital Sky. Compared with Knapsack Battery Sprayer and 4 Stroke Knapsack Sprayer units, water volumes per acre fall sharply (10-15 L versus 100-200 L), demanding higher pesticide concentration and ULV-grade nozzles.

Subsidy and adoption

The central-sector Namo Drone Didi scheme (announced November 2023) underwrites 80% of capital cost, capped at Rs 8 lakh, for women Self-Help Groups to acquire spraying drones for custom-hire service. Total scheme outlay is Rs 1,261 crore for 15,000 drones during 2023-26. Drones are also listed under SMAM with 40-50% subsidy for individual farmers and 100% for certain institutional buyers.

See also: Drone Fertiliser Spreader, Drone Spraying Flower Crops, Tractor Mounted Sprayer, Mist Blower, Agri Machinery Dealer Ecosystem.

References

  1. DJI Agras T30 product page. DJI.
  2. Namo Drone Didi. india.gov.in.
  3. Implementation of Drone Didi Scheme. Press Information Bureau, Government of India.