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sUAS Agricultural Aerial Application Spreading Efficiency

PI David Thirtyacre

The use of UAS in agricultural operations is increasing under the 14CFR Part 137 regulations. However, there is little data on the efficiency of using UAS to spread gradual products. This research seeks to determine efficiency through flight testing.

One of the most promising uses of aerial applications by a sUAS is in small farms such as cranberry bogs, Christmas tree farms and vineyards, where traditional crewed aerial applicators (like crop dusters) were not practical due to the limited size of the operations (Velusamy et al., 2022). The ERAU-controlled field test for this research aimed to assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of using a sUAS spreading system compared to the traditional manual application of weed killer and fertilizer on cranberry bogs that were less than 10 acres.

The specific research questions were:

  1. What efficiencies are realized by aerial application of granular material on small farms?
  2. What flight planning and operational considerations will maximize the efficiency of aerial application of granular material on small farms?

Research Dates

04/01/2023 to 09/25/2024

Researchers

  • Scott S. Burgess

    Scott S. Burgess

    Department
    Department of Flight
    Degrees
    Ph.D., Northcentral University
    M.A.S., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
    B.S., Oregon State University
  • Joseph Cerreta

    Joseph Cerreta

    Department
    Department of Flight
    Degrees
    Ph.D., Northcentral University
    M.A.S., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
    B.A., Excelsior College
  • David Thirtyacre

    David Thirtyacre

    Department
    Department of Flight
    Degrees
    Ph.D., M.A.S., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
    B.S., Washington State University

Categories: Faculty-Staff