How Drones Are Being Used in and Above the Greenhouse

By Greenhouse Grower

De Drone, De Drone! Okay, maybe your staff won’t recreate the intro of Fantasy Island, but they will surely be intrigued, writes Andy Wilcox at Greenhouse Grower. Drones in and above the greenhouse? While still a new use case, drone use in agriculture is expanding at a rapid pace. Advances in materials and battery technology, as well as onboard sensors, have created opportunities for drones to assist with pest scouting and control, crop monitoring, structural inspection of overhead components, marketing (think overhead photo and video for your website), and even application of greenhouse shading compounds.

Some agricultural drones weigh just over an ounce, while others are powerful enough to carry 40 liters of liquid for aerial applications. Some drones are flown by or with the supervision of a human pilot, while others flown indoors can be people-free. To make the process user-friendly, many companies now offer drones as a subscription service. The vendors take care of drone maintenance and repair.

The inside of a greenhouse is a tricky space to fly in. Expensive light fixtures, plants, wires, support posts, and other items would seem to be in the way. Images of plastic-crunching impacts and sweeping up pieces come to mind.

Frans-Peter Dechering is the co-founder of Corvus Drones. He explains how a drone could fly inside a greenhouse, where the GPS signal is often spotty, without hitting any posts or light fixtures.