Spray Drones Show Promise in Crabgrass Control for Turf Management

Up until this point, little information existed regarding how the choice of nozzle and the amount applied affect weed management effectiveness when utilizing remotely piloted aerial application systems (RPAAS). Nevertheless, recent studies indicate that employing low-drift nozzles with minimal spray volumes between 1.0–1.5 gallons per acre through RPAAS could yield similar weed suppression outcomes as conventional ground sprayers applying up to 10 gallons per acre in grassy areas.

This is a crucial finding from the newly released report. research in Weed Technology .

Thanks to these findings, we can offer turfgrass managers important guidance on utilizing remotely operated aerial drones equipped with drift-reduction nozzles and minimal spray volume techniques for efficient weed management," explains Muthukumar Bagavathiannan, Ph.D., an agronomy professor at Texas A&M University and lead corresponding author of the study. "Our overall conclusion indicates that remote pesticide application systems via drones can be successfully employed for targeted herbicide treatments in turf areas.

The study was carried out throughout 2022 at two locations: College Station, Texas, and Augusto Costa, Ph.D., from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Algodão, Campina Grande), served as the lead and corresponding author for this work. The contribution of aerial application technology came from Daniel Martin, Ph.D., who works with USDA-ARS in College Station, TX, alongside several other collaborating scientists.

The treatment comprised three types of flat-fan nozzles: extended range, drift guard, and air induction, along with two lower spray volume settings, all using a single-nozzle RPAAS setup. For reference purposes, a pressurized four-nozzle boom backpack sprayer was used as a control.

As stated by Bagavathiannan, applications utilizing the RPAAS along with drift guard and air induction nozzles at lower spray volumes achieved comparable weed control outcomes compared to those delivered by a backpack sprayer operating at elevated liquid volumes," he notes. "Consequently, this study concludes that RPAAS has significant potential for precise herbicide distribution in turf management scenarios.

More information: Augusto G.F. Costa et al, Nozzle type and spray volume effects on site-specific herbicide application in turfgrass using a remotely piloted aerial application system, Weed Technology (2025). DOI: 10.1017/wet.2025.15

Furnished by Cambridge University Press

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