Effectiveness of Drone Mounted Sprayer for Managing Brown Planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) in Paddy Eco-system
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52151/jae2025624.1965Keywords:
BPH, insecticide, phytotoxicity, knapsack sprayer, motorized power sprayer, unmanned aerial vehicleAbstract
The introduction of drone-mounted sprayers in Indian agriculture has created opportunities for precision pesticide application, yet challenges remain in defining crop- and growth-stage-specific operational strategies. Farmers often adopt blanket applications that result in excessive drift, wastage of pesticides, and reduced efficacy. To address this, a field experiment was conducted in paddy field to evaluate the performance of flupyrimin 10% SC applied through a drone-mounted sprayer at varying dosage levels. Treatments included a lower dose (75 g a.i. ha⁻¹), the recommended dose (100 g a.i. ha⁻¹), a higher dose (125 g a.i. ha⁻¹), and a double dose (200 g a.i. ha⁻¹) to assess phytotoxicity. Comparative applications using motorised power and knapsack sprayers were also included. Results showed that drone-based applications at 75 and 100 g a.i. ha⁻¹ were statistically at par (p ≤ 0.05) in suppressing brown planthopper populations while achieving grain yields of 55.83 and 56.28 q ha⁻¹, respectively. The maximum benefit–cost ratio was obtained with 75 g a.i. ha⁻¹ (1.70), followed closely by 100 g a.i. ha⁻¹ (1.68) and 125 g a.i. ha⁻¹ (1.66). The natural enemy population did not differ significantly between drone and conventional spraying methods, and no phytotoxicity symptoms were observed even at double the recommended dose (200 g a.i. ha⁻¹). The improved performance of reduced dosages may be attributed to enhanced coverage and deposition efficiency of drone-mounted spraying. The findings suggested that in the paddy ecosystem, a 25% reduction in flupyrimin dosage (75 g a.i. ha⁻¹) delivered comparable pest suppression and yield outcomes to the recommended dose. This demonstrates the potential of drones to reduce pesticide usage without compromising efficacy, while providing farmers with benchmarks for operationally efficient and environmentally sustainable application practices.
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