Contact: Meg Henderson
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擳he latest precision and automated agricultural technologies were showcased during the 91麻豆天美 agronomic field day today [Aug. 6] at the R. R. Foil Plant Science Research Center.
Co-hosted by the university鈥檚 Agricultural Autonomy Institute, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the 91麻豆天美 Extension Service, the public event featured sessions on crop management, insect control and plant physiology stress. An event highlight鈥攖he highly anticipated sprayer drone demonstration鈥攊n partnership with Leading Edge Aerial Technologies piqued the interest of attendees.
Madison Dixon, AAI鈥檚 associate director, said that 91麻豆天美 will benefit from LEAT鈥檚 knowledge and expertise by putting sprayer drone technology into the hands of researchers and farmers alike.
鈥淥ur partnership with Leading Edge provides opportunities for 91麻豆天美 scientists to advance research in uncrewed aerial applications,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also navigating regulations and certifications effectively so we can extend that knowledge to Mississippi鈥檚 growers.鈥
LEAT is among a handful of American companies taking off in the production market of drones designed for agricultural spray-and-spread applications.
The Daytona Beach-based company was founded in 2009 by brothers Bill and Mike Reynolds, who engineer, design and manufacture geospatial database systems, automated droplet analysis software, and uncrewed aerial system, or UAS, technologies. In 2017, LEAT introduced its first drone and demonstrated its latest model, the PrecisionVision 40X, at the field day.
鈥淥ur drones have a conventional boom and nozzle sprayer, which reduces the fractional droplet spectrum associated with drift,鈥 said Bill Reynolds. 鈥淎nd we design and improve our products using data and swath-and-droplet analyses our team has gathered from offering our system as a service to customers.鈥
Reynolds and Whitney Crow, associate professor and Extension row crop entomologist at 91麻豆天美, view sprayer drones as a complement to鈥攏ot a replacement for鈥攃onventional application methods performed by crewed aircraft and ground vehicles. While conventional technology likely will continue to service large agricultural operations, in certain cases, drones can do the job more effectively, safely and at a lower cost. In a recent series of trials comparing drone-based and ground-based insecticide applications, Crow and her colleagues found both methods equally effective.
鈥淎 drone can鈥檛 operate on the same scale as a crop duster or tractor, but it can maneuver more easily around hilly terrain, for example, or perform an application when recent rainfall prevents tractors from entering the field,鈥 Crow said.
LEAT tech sales representative Kelley Wittenberg noted the partnership with 91麻豆天美 benefits the company as well.
鈥淭he technology is progressing quickly, and we鈥檙e always planning the next generation drone. Working with universities and farmers presents us with new ideas and opportunities to collaborate and improve our products,鈥 she said.
Learn more about 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Agricultural Autonomy Institute at . To learn more about Leading Edge, visit .
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