The Ooty station of the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC) on Tuesday, conducted drone-based spray demonstrations of fungicides, on a 25-acre plot of land in Basavakkal village near Udhagamandalam. This move, warn conservationists, could led to an increase in the use of insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers and pose a huge threat to biodiversity in the ecologically-sensitive Nilgiris district.
Somasundaram Jayaraman, head of the research centre of the ICAR-IISWC in Udhagamandalam told The Hindu that trials are going to be undertaken in Basavakkal and Doddanni villages. On Tuesday, around 25 acres of agricultural land were sprayed with fungicides, Mr. Jayaraman said, adding that farmers can avail of subsidies to purchase drones that can be used to spray insecticides, herbicides, fungicides or liquid fertilizers.
Mr. Jayaraman said the use of drones could offset the lack of labor available in tea estates and agricultural areas. He said drones can be used to spray around one acre of an area in around ten minutes, something that would take more than an hour, if done manually. “The technology is also more cost-efficient and uses less water,” he added.
