BukSU engineer develops drone system to lower farm cost

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 20 January) – An electronics engineer from Bukidnon State University has developed a drone spray system that will help farmers cut expenses on agrochemicals.

Dr. Manuel Chad G. Agurob, Head of the Electronics Department of the College of Technologies said the aerial spray system, once fully developed, can be self-driven, vision-based, and variable in terms of the amount of chemicals it will release to the farm.

Agurob called the project “Autonomous Vision-based Unmanned Aerial Spray System with Variable Flow for Agricultural Application.”

In an interview, Agurob said the innovation project was meant to help address poor planting management, to make farming less costly.

At the moment, he said, the aerial spray system is still in a laboratory scale. He said he would need more resources to develop its mechanical and control systems for it to be fully useful in agriculture.

He said they were able to evaluate its functionality as an autonomous, vision based tool, and  enable the variability of the amount of spray.

”The challenge is to implement it in a real world scenario. We need to develop the control and mechanical system,” he added.

The project is an outcome of the research for his doctorate degree at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Technology of the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology. It was supported by the Department of Science and Technology – Engineering Research and Development for Technology.

According to his paper’s abstract, by using advanced technology in farming, the drone addresses the common problem of uneven plant growth caused by poor planting practices, which often leads to wasted chemicals.

Family motivation

Agurob said his family’s farming background inspired him to develop the innovation. He noted his early exposure to farming, which is their primary source of income. As he grew older, he realized the extensive efforts needed to keep the crops healthy.

He said they could not keep the cost low because they have no mechanism to effectively assess the proper application of pesticides and fertilizers as well as the unpredictable status and health of the vegetation in their fields. He said this wasted their agrochemical supply.

He said he saw the gap in the cost of fertilizers, especially with sweet corn and other crops. His family, he added, used manual spray every now and then.

”I would like (also) to see if there is a scientific method to save on pesticides, increase the yield, and lower fertilizer consumption,” he said.

Based on the paper’s conclusion, Dr. Agurob developed a smart drone system that used a camera to assess crop health and spray the right amount of agrochemicals based on the plants’ needs.

Agurob’s paper said the system uses a built-in RGB camera and computer to analyze the color and health of crops. With this information, it adjusts the amount of liquid sprayed, ensuring that healthier crops get less spray and weaker ones get more.

The drone is powered by six propellers, has a tank that can hold up to three kilograms of liquid, and sprays at a maximum rate of 300 milliliters per minute.

It uses advanced technology to stay on its planned path, with only a small margin of error, making it reliable for general farming needs. A special sensor helps the drone maintain the right height above the ground to ensure even spraying, the study’s conclusion noted.

The results of the study showed that the drone system worked well in controlling the spray flow and targeting the right areas. It further showed that they were able to reduce the use of chemicals on healthier plants while still covering less healthy areas effectively. This means farmers can save on agrochemical costs, reduce waste, and protect the environment, all while improving their harvest.

Agurob noted that among the things that can be improved include testing different spray nozzles and using drones with bigger tanks, which could help expand the system’s capability.

”By fine-tuning the technology, we can ensure even better spray coverage, reduce drift, and make this system even more efficient and sustainable for farmers,” he said.

This technology holds promise for modern farming, helping improve productivity while taking care of the environment, he said.

He said he referred to many experts in pursuing the project.

The research project was published in September 2023 in the IAENG International Journal of Computer Science. It has been proposed to initially implement it in the areas of Bukidnon, particularly in Barangay Kulasihan, Lantapan town, and from there on a global level. (Albert Jed Doble and Genierose Eco/BukSU Development Communication students)