Drone technology has become an increasingly popular resource for helping plant producers scout for pests and diseases in the field, and have even been used for spot application of pesticides.

Companies are now modifying drone technology for use in greenhouse production. One of the challenges to overcome with greenhouse drone technology is navigation mapping. Field drones rely on GPS to navigate, but inside a greenhouse, drones encounter GPS interference so the drone’s flight path has to be determined using visual markers on stickers mounted throughout the structure.

Greenhouse drone technology is used extensively in the Netherlands and Central America for rose production. Some of the automated tasks greenhouse drones are used for include monitoring growth, and early detection of pests like thrips, which helps to reduce chemical usage. Greenhouse drones are also used in orchid production for inventory control, and to detect genetic anomalies which is important for forecasting bloom times and size.  Imagery data captured by the drones is processed using programmable software.

Greenhouse drones can be mounted with infrared cameras to detect heat leaks which is critical for winter hothouse production enterprises e.g. tomatoes. Drones have also been used to apply roof-shading paint on greenhouses,  a task which can often be difficult and risky using manual labor. One challenge with having drones apply shading paint is that this uses drones which are large enough to require an FAA pilot’s license, so green businesses either have to expend resources to train staff for the license, or hire a sub-contractor with the necessary expertise.

As the future takes flight, greenhouse drone technology has the potential to save time and input costs.

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