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Purdue University research shows spray drone results vary

A Purdue graduate research assistant says he has concerns about the efficacy of spray drones. 

Hunter Medenwald tells Brownfield his recent research looked at the impact of carrier volume, deposition aids, and drift reduction agents.

“Carrier volume seems to be a bigger factor for spray pattern uniformity, but what’s more important to us is the placement of that spray pattern,” he says. “Different adjuvants may impact either collapse or expansion of that spray pattern, which might lead to streaking or a uniform application.”

He says he’s optimistic technology will continue to advance.

“Different things like environment conditions, different models, different nozzles, droplet sizes, those can all impact the effective overlap pattern with spray drones,” he says.

Medenwald says his research finds that traditional herbicide applications still offer the best results.

AUDIO: Hunter Medenwald, Purdue University