Drone Farming – Detect emerging diseases in food crops
Drone Farming
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As we know, drones are playing a growing role in farming, making it easier for farmers to determine when and where to harvest, what crops need help, and more. Drone farming is here to help the modern farmer and will be for years to come. Farmers have always taken advantage of new technologies and this is no exception.
We have shared many stories with you about precision agriculture, last week we even shared a story on wine drones, all types of crops can benefit. This story in The Prairie Star shares insights on drone farming work taking place at Kansas State University.
“MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University is leading an international, multimillion-dollar project that is looking at unmanned aerial systems – or UAS – as a quick and efficient method to detect pest insects and diseases in food crops before outbreaks happen.
Brian McCornack, associate professor of entomology, is the U.S. principal investigator on the $1.74 million three-year project, “Optimizing Surveillance Protocols Using Unmanned Aerial Systems.” The project partners Kansas State University’s Manhattan and Salina campuses with Australia’s Queensland University of Technology, the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries, and the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
The project was recently funded by the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre – a consortium of several of Australia and New Zealand’s leading governmental research institutions and universities supported by industry and governmental partners. Kansas State University is the center’s only U.S. partner. Australia and Kansas share similar agricultural systems and concerns about emerging diseases and insect pests.”
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