Unmanned aerial vehicle “technology+” helps to ensure a bumper harvest of rice in arid areas

At the demonstration base for dry farming of rice in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu’er City, the Dajiang T30 plant protection UAV shuttles back and forth over dry land rice. With the proficiency of the operator, the drone flexibly rotates and moves, spraying the atomized liquid evenly on dry land rice plants according to the predetermined route. In just 3 days, the 666.2 acre prevention and control spraying operation within the demonstration base was completed, and the entire process was fast and efficient.

At present, it is the high temperature of midsummer, and the dryland rice in Lancang County has entered a critical period of growth. It is also a period of frequent occurrence of rice blast, sticky worms, rice planthoppers, rice leaf roller, and rice stem borer. Many dryland rice growers strengthen their field management and protection through measures such as spraying fertilizers and pesticides, ensuring the high yield and harvest of dryland rice.

In order to solidly carry out the monitoring and control of rice pests and diseases in arid areas, Lancang County provides free pesticides to farmers and guides them in scientific prevention and control, striving to promote stable grain production and efficiency. At the same time, relying on the scientific and technological strength of experts from the CAE Member, and under the guidance of academician Zhu Youyong and the expert team from Yunnan Agricultural University, high-power unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used to spray 666.2 mu dry land rice in four villages, namely, Munai Village, Yunshan Village, Laotanshan Village and Cizhuhe Village, involving 574 people from 168 households and 15 village groups in four villages.

At the pesticide distribution site, everyone queued up in an orderly manner to register and collect pesticides. After the pesticide distribution is completed, the agricultural technical personnel of the Zhutang Township Agricultural Comprehensive Service Center will conduct on-site training on the prevention and control of major diseases and pests in dryland rice and the scientific use of pesticides to guide farmers in scientific application, correct medication, and precise prevention and control, ensuring the quality of dryland rice production.

Peng Zhafa, Director of the Agricultural Comprehensive Service Center in Zhutang Township, Lancang County, said: Whenever there are key agricultural milestones, the team of academicians and experts will go deep into the fields and personally teach our agricultural technicians advanced technologies. The drone ‘fly defense’ technology not only improves agricultural production efficiency, but also avoids pesticide waste and environmental pollution, solves the problem of pesticide residues on agricultural crops and soil water pollution, achieves separation of human and drug, safety and environmental protection, and effectively improves the efficiency of pesticide spraying on dryland rice.

Liu Zapi, the leader of Haozhiba Group 2 in Yunshan Village, Zhutang Township, Lancang County, happily said, “The free use of drones to spray pesticides greatly improves efficiency. Experts also provide professional technical guidance and services to the fields, allowing farmers to better apply their technology to actual production.