from to 8.30 am 8.35 am Welcoming addresses & Safety Briefing & Doa 8.35 am 8.50 am Opening speech by Head of R&D Division 8.50 am 9.20 am Best management Practices and Mitigation Plan for HumanLandscape 9.20 am 9.50 am Evaluation of Weed Solution Effectiveness in Cash Crop C9.50 am 10.20 am Effectiveness of UAV aerial spraying for pests & diseases c10.20 am 10.50 am Morning Tea Break & Photography Session 10.50 am 11.20 am Establishment of Internet Of Things (IoT) and tracking syst11.20 am 11.50 am The effect of Fertilizer Application in Planting Hole During O11.50 am 12.20 pm Potential of combination fertilizer and other disease controlin oil palm plantation 12.20 pm 12.50 pm Potential use of Biochar from oil palm waste as a planting m12.50 pm 2.00 pm Lunch Break 2.00 pm 2.30 pm Jackfruit Tissue Culture and Field Evaluation 2.30 pm 3.00 pm FGV’s planting materials in Sabah: 7 years performance re3.00 pm 3.30 pm Development of Shorter Rachis Length Planting Material th3.30 pm 4.00 pm Development of planting material with long stalk trait throug4.00 pm 4.20 pm Afternoon Tea Break 4.20 pm 4.50 pm Screening of potential Ganoderma tolerance marker using 4.50 pm 5.20 pm Establishment of Gene editing system for Ganoderma boni5.20 pm 5.50 pm Development of SSR markers for identification of coconut p5.50 pm End of Day 1 Day 1 19/09/2023 Benefactor: Agronomy, Strategic CroBenPlantingTechnical Wor19th - 20th SeDewan Seminar PalmaGro, FGV Innovation Centre - BDate Time Program
Emcee Tn. Hj Romzi Ishak n-Wildlife Conflicts (HWC) in Agriculture Ariff Ateed Mohd Noh Proposal ultivation Ts. Kamalul Adham Che Ruslan Proposal control in nursery and oil palm field Shahrul Azman Bakar Progress tem at estate Noor Amanina Binti Ghazali Progress Oil Palm Replanting Mohd Nizar b. Khairuddin Progress elements for Ganoderma disease management Ahmad Ramadzan Bin Mohd Nasir Proposal media in the main nursery Erwan Syah Tugiman Progress Mohd Farkhan Mohd Ishak Progress esults and analysis Dr Noramiza Sabturani Progress hrough Molecular Breeding Approach Amer Izzat Samsudin Proposal & Progress gh molecular breeding approach Siti Khadijah Abdullah Proposal & Progress multi-approach analysis Dr Anis Farhan Fatimi Ab Wahab Proposal & Progress inense Dr Anis Farhan Fatimi Ab Wahab Closure planting material Hooi Wei Yeng Proposal & Progress Session 1 FGVPM, FGVAS, PUP, FPI ops, Crop Protection and Bio-Solution Session 2 nefactor: FGVAS g Materials Research rkshop 02/2023 eptember 2023 Beneficial Microbes, Bandar Enstek, Negeri Sembilan Presenter Remarks
from to Day 1 19/09/2023 Technical Wor19th - 20th SeDewan Seminar PalmaGro, FGV Innovation Centre - BDate Time Program8.30 am 8.45 am The oil palm variety with the thinner tenera shell trait 8.45 am 9.00 am Yield Evaluation of Chimaera Palms: A Comparative Study9.00 am 9.15 am Recovery of the PalmaGro Product 9.15 am 9.45 am Extraction of Nitrocellulose using Oil Palm Biomass 9.45 am 10.05 am Morning Tea Break 10.05 am 10.35 am Napier Grass Based Forages Pellet as New Fibre Source f10.35 am 11.05 am Application of Spent Silica Adsorbent in CPO Bleaching 11.05 am 11.35 am PRIME Project (Development of healthy Granola Bar) 11.35 am 11.50 am GV R&D Technical support to TRTH on Frying Oil 11.50 am 12.05 pm FOOD SECURITY – What and How Can FGV R&D Contrib12.05 pm 12.35 pm Wrap-up for Session 1.05 pm 1.35 pm Award Ceremony 1.35 pm Lunch Break & End of Day 2 Note : The above programBenPlantingDay 2 20/09/2023 DownFood Technology
rkshop 02/2023 eptember 2023 Beneficial Microbes, Bandar Enstek, Negeri Sembilan Presenter Remarks Dr Muhamad Azhar Abd Wahid Knowledge Sharing y Dr Muhamad Azhar Abd Wahid Knowledge Sharing Elya Masya Mohd Fishal Knowledge Sharing Muhamad Nurfikri Bin Azmi Proposal for Ruminant Feed Muhamad Zulfitri Zainal Proposal Dr. Nurul Lina Mohamad Progress Siti Maslina Mohd Alwi Progress Sharifah Khorsiah Syed Khodri Knowledge Sharing bute? Juriana Zabidin Knowledge Sharing Tn Hj. Noor Hisham Hamid mme is subject to changes Session 2 nefactor: FGVAS g Materials Research Session 3 stream Department , Feed & Industrial Technology
Best Management Practices and Mitigation Plan for Human-Wildlife Conflicts (HWC) in Agriculture Landscape Ariff Ateed Mohd Noh, Muhammad Dzulhelmi Muhammad Nasir & Cik Mohd Rizuan Zainal Abidin Department of Crop Protection and Bio-solutions, FGV R&D Sdn Bhd, Tun Razak Agricultural Research Centre, 27000 Jerantut, Pahang, Malaysia ABSTRACT Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) tends to occur when wildlife and humans compete for the same natural resources. Habitat loss and forest fragmentation, which cause degradation of roaming and feeding grounds, have driven intense conflict between wildlife and humans, which encroach into cultivated areas, destroy crops, and attack livestock. Encroachment of big mammals such as Asian elephants (Peninsular Malaysia) and pigmy elephants (Sabah) into oil palm plantations to feed on young oil palm crops is a common example of a serious HWC problem that has led to significant monetary losses to the plantation operator or owner if no serious action is taken. Estimated monetary losses incurred by plantation owners can reach as high as RM 3 to 4 million per annum due to the HWC problem (Aida Ghani, 2019). Conventional prevention methods such as setting up electric fences and trenches at the entry point of the sensitive area purposely to fend off the encroachment did not usually provide a solution to the problem since sometimes, they could still enter the plantation by destroying the fences and passing through the trenches. Since HWC has reached a critical point in several FGV & FELDA plantations, the pest management unit from FGVR&D will take the initiative to revise the effectiveness of current conventional prevention methods such as electric fences and trenches. A new initiative to find out the best management and mitigation practices (BMMP) will be conducted, especially on the prevention method, including natural repellents, best practices-based estate perception, and the integration of several prevention methods at a single-entry point. Adoption of modern prevention technology will also be explored as part of the initiative since it will enhance encroachment prevention methods in the sensitive area. This initiative will not focus only on one subject of HWC, for instance, elephants, but will also address HWC involving other wildlife as well, such as wild boars, monkeys, and other vertebrate pests. Non-profit organizations (NGO) will be included in future collaboration,) related to wildlife such as MEME, WCS, PERHILITAN, etc.) to enhance exploration of the best management and mitigation practises in HWC. Keywords: plantation, wildlife, conflict, encroachment, mitigation
Evaluation of Weed Solution Effectiveness in Cash Crop Agriculture Abstract Weed Solut-ion (2-sodium amine) is an adjuvant from organic salt used as an herbicide booster. Besides, this adjuvant is environmentally friendly and safe for use by users. This is because the constituent material is about 70% derived from local organic compounds and 30% from a lesstoxic synthetic compound. Presently, FGV R&D has completed studies on Weed Solut-ion in oil palm plantations, and it has been proven to reduce herbicide usage dosage by 50% in plantation crops without reducing its effectiveness. Consequently, Weed Solut-ion has the potential to diminish herbicide residues on the ground, respectively, in the plantation environment. The purpose of the study is to assess how Weed Solut-ion application in cash crops affects herbicide efficacy, costs, and environmental impact. Therefore, Weed Solut-ion product label expansion is proposed for cash crops, i.e., pineapple, banana, and paddy, as well as coconut, jackfruit, and durian.
Effectiveness of UAV aerial spraying for pests & diseases control in nursery and oil palm field. Shahrul Azman Bakar Abstract This drone spraying research project has focused on several applications, namely weed control, bagworm control, nursery pest and diseases (P&D) control and rhinoceros beetle. Starting in 2021 until 2022, with the cooperation of the estates and the agronomy department, the weed and bagworm spray study has been completed with satisfactory results. About 7,300 hectares of FGV’s estates have used this method for bagworm control. In general, the use of drones offers several advantages and alternatives to conventional methods, but there is also a risk of ineffectiveness that needs attention, especially in technical issues and weather conditions. The suitability of drone specifications and spray parameters have been identified and set, this matter has been translated in the standard operating procedures (SOP) that has been published as a reference. For nursery study, the challenge is to wet the entire leaf; upper and lower surface of the leaf, this matter is still in the process of research and discussion. In 2023, study on rhinoceros beetle control show that drones are an effective alternative for pointto-point spraying. The conventional point-to-point spraying method requires the full use of labour, compared to other P&D control that is done by blanket spraying which has the alternative of using sprayer mounted on tractor.
FGV R&D SDN BHD (COMPANY NO. 1012623-V) QUARTER 2 2023 PROGRESS REPORT Project Title : Effectiveness of UAV aerial spraying for pests & diseases control in nursery and oil palm field. Program : NG -09. KI-Estate Operation improvement using Internet of Things (IoT) and drone system Project Leader : Shahrul Azman Bakar Team Members:1. Haryati Abidin 2. Dr. Lee Yang Ping 3. Mohd Na’aim Samad 4. Norshafiqah Binti Khalid 5. Kamalul Adham Bin Che Ruzlan 6. Che Ahmad Hafiz Che Manan 7. Cik Mohd Rizuan Zainal Abidin 8. Yusdayati Bt Rashid 9. Dr Muhammad Dzulhelmi Bin Muhammad Nasir 10. Muhamed Ramdhan Ab. Latiff 11. Syamsul Azhar Ghazali 12.Yusaini Jamali 13. Muhammad Khairul Anuar Bin Mohd Noor Unit : Geoinformatics Unit Presenter : Shahrul Azman Bakar Abstract This drone spraying research project has focused on several applications, namely weed control, bagworm control, nursery pest and diseases (P&D) control and rhinoceros beetle. Starting in 2021 until 2022, with the cooperation of the estates and the agronomy department, the weed and bagworm spray study has been completed with satisfactory results. About 7,300 hectares of FGV’s estates have used this method for bagworm control. In general, the use of drones offers several advantages and alternatives to conventional methods, but there is also a risk of ineffectiveness that needs attention, especially in technical issues and weather conditions. The suitability of drone specifications and spray parameters have been identified and set, this matter has been translated in the standard operating procedures (SOP) that has been published as a reference. For nursery study, the challenge is to wet the entire leaf; upper and lower surface of the leaf, this matter is still in the process of research and discussion. In 2023, study on rhinoceros beetle control show that drones are an effective alternative for point-to-point spraying. The conventional point-to-point spraying method requires the full use of labour, compared to other P&D control that is done by blanket spraying which has the alternative of using sprayer mounted on tractor.
INTRODUCTION Agricultural crops are one of the most primary foods in the world. The production of agriculture is strongly affected by the biological factors such as pests and diseases. Wherever the agriculture has been practiced, the pests and diseases will attack and destroying part or even the entire crop. The pests and diseases are one of the serious risks for the primary producers as they can affect on the crop yield and quantity. For example, bag worm and rhinoceros beetles are major threats for oil palm yield and mother palm trees. Meanwhile in other crops, weeds are the common problem. Normally, the weeds are managed by physical, mechanical and chemical methods. These methods are labour intensive. Normally, pests and diseases control is primarily achieved by the application of chemical products. Many pesticides were applied as a spray of liquid droplets and for certain products as a fine dust. There are several methods to control pests and diseases in agriculture such as trunk injection, knapsack spraying, boom spraying, mist-blowing and many more. Nowadays, farmers are increasing aware about the adverse effects of chemical on human health and the environment. This matter put the pressure on the management to replace traditional methods with those methods that are more safe to use, easy and effective to apply in agricultural field. Precision agriculture offers an alternative for reducing and optimizing the use of potentially harmful chemicals by decreasing the use of common conventional applications in agriculture (Zhang and Kovacs 2012). The use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in agriculture can contribute to the efficient management of agricultural field. Apart from the use of drones in activities that provide information in agriculture, it also becomes part of agricultural machinery. In the field of spray application, UAVs or known as aerial spraying could be seen perform spraying at different kind of crops with pesticides, herbicides or fertilizer. Aerial spraying technology can be applied to spray objects on demand, and the potential of variable spray in improving pesticide utilization, reducing pesticide residues and reducing environmental risk has been formed under the international consensus (Wen et al., 2019). Several studies have been done using aerial spraying in different type of crops such as rice crop (Qin et al., 2016), pineapple crop (Wang et al., 2020), Wheat (Wang et al., 2019; Qin et al., 2018), corn (Berner et al., 2018), pepper (Xiao et al., 2020); Cotton (Xiao et al., 2019) and weed (Wen et al., 2019; Mukthiyar et al., 2017). Many studies proof that by using UAV-based aerial spraying, it can reduce manpower and operation cost. For example, based on research that had been done by Muazu et al., (2015) and Su et al., (2018), both fertilizing and spraying operations constituted about 63.42% of the total cost expenditure in North-West Selangor (i.e. 36.78% in fertilizing and 26.64% in spraying) for paddy cultivation. An average paddy farmer there spent relatively very high investment of about RM1436.51 per ha per season for the chemical fertilizer cost and about RM1040.49 per ha per season for the spraying operation cost alone. Thus, decreasing the operating costs for fertilizing and spraying operations would promise for a better average gross margin to the current paddy farmers in Malaysia. Besides that, Nawi et al. (2012) found that the spraying pesticide operation in the rice field cultivation is one of the slowest operation tasks and the most energy consuming task, accounted for about 56% of the overall rice field operation. By using the UAV-based aerial sprayer or drone sprayer, it can provides an effective technique for such activity operation by reducing time of operation at least about 33% compared to the conventional (Su, et. al., 2018) method that are laborious. According to Castaldi et al. (2017), drone sprayer has reduced the amount of herbicide applied by 39% using a precision weed management system combining weed maps and an aerial spray system. Aerial application has great advantages in speed of coverage, in being able to access crops when fields are too wet for ground machines and in avoiding soil compaction and crop damage from ground machinery. The drone will be helpful in spraying fertilizers, pesticides and crop protection products while being controlled by a single person operating from a safe area. The proposed work in this paper recommends the use of aerial spraying in the agricultural sector for spraying crop protection products such as fertilizers and pesticides.
1.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT Problem Statement 1: It is very important to improve the efficiency and productivity of agriculture by simultaneously providing a safe cultivation of the farmers. Operations like spraying of pesticides, sprinkling the fertilizers are very tedious. Knowing that the spraying of pesticides has become compulsory these days, it also proves to be a harmful procedure for the farmers. The WHO (World Health Organization) estimated as one million cases of ill affected, when spraying the pesticides in the crop field manually. Besides that, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (2008) has stated that certain amount of pesticides usually can be absorbed through the skin, transferred to the mouth and inhaled by a person over a certain period of time. Even the pesticide with high toxicity might be found present at an unacceptable risk to the people that standing or residing at certain distance downwind from the spraying site area. For example, Wang et al. (2019) stated that the applications of knapsack sprayer using in the agricultural industry generally can lead to the high chemical exposure of the operators and postural discomfort. There are also farmers that take too many precautions, especially when they spray pesticides, like wearing appropriate outfits, masks, gloves and many more, so that, it does not cause any harmful effects on them. But is also not completely possible avoiding the pesticides as the required outcome has to be met. So, the use of aerial spray in such cases gives the best of the solutions for these problems, along with the required productivity and efficiency. Furthermore, the chemical poisoning risk can be reduced for people who perform spraying with pesticides because the spraying drone operator is at a considerable distance from the place of the operation (Berner & Chojnacki, 2017). Problem Statement 2: In Malaysia, there are areas that ground spraying cannot reach, such as uneven, steep, or inaccessible terrain or sensitive environments where the ground vehicles would damage the area or crops. Furthermore, height is one of the problems when facing with the pest and disease. In the oil palm crop, the palm trees can be reach heights of 20 m until 30 m, at which point they become too tall to be managed efficiently. For example, the mother palm trees that can grow very tall can be attacked by the rhino beetles. This can cause the loss of productivity, irreversible damage to plants and death. To prevent and control the pest is by using the chemical pesticides straights toward the leaves. By addressing the problems, the aerial sprayer can be used in operations on the small surfaces of fields situated on different heights or in locations that are hard to access (Berner & Chojnacki 2017). Others advantages of the use of drone aerial sprayer in the fight against pests include the possibility to quickly reach the place where the operation is to be performed and a short time of its performance. There are no problems connected with soil compaction or crumpling of plants. They can be particularly useful in the case of spot spraying over a large surface.
Problem Statement 3: Knowing that the manual spray method using knapsack sprayer or spray bag has several issues related to low efficiency and poor atomization effects. Moreover, there are farmers that cannot distribute pesticides equally throughout the area (Chavan, 2019) and it takes much longer time to evenly spray, thus it can affect the quality of the spraying. The poorly distributed sprays in a crop canopy can reduce the effectiveness of a spray. Aerial spray by drones has the advantages of high efficiency and flexibility. Moreover, the information by knowing when the correct timing according to the pesticides’ life cycle, volume and nozzle type of the aerial spray plays an important role in ensuring the effectiveness of the spray. However, there are certain parameters of drone aerial spray that need to be study such as height and speed of the aerial spray and distribution of droplet. This can help to increase the quality and effectiveness of the spraying. 2.0 GOAL & OBJECTIVE The main goal of this project is to study the efficiency and the productivity of aerial spraying in liquid fertilizer application, pests, diseases and weed control for oil palm either in nursery or large area. To achieve the main goal, we have 2 objectives to be achieved in this project. i. To produce the general Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of aerial spraying on weed management, pest & disease control and oil palm nursery ii. To investigate the parameters of aerial spraying towards the quality of the distribution and effectiveness of droplet.
3.0 METHODOLOGY The following is the method used in this study. i. Using water sensitive paper (WSP) as a tool to record spray droplets and then analyze them. i. Trial plot - make a pre and post census in the trial plot to see the effect of spraying on pests iii. Make tests and trials to obtain appropriate flight parameters and operational plan. Table 1: Experimental design Weed Nursery Bagworms Rhino Beetle Spray method Blanket Point-to-Point Centre spray Flight parameter Test and trial: Drone model: DJI Agras T30. Environmental and weather factors; wind speed, temperature, safety. Flight parameter; altitude, speed, spray route width. Spray application; Volume, flowrate, nozzle type, battery consumption, surfactant, operation plan, etc. Analysis Droplet deposition; distribution and coverage using WSP and apps (ImageJ, snap card) Observation of spray pattern and precision Statistical Histogram, area percentage, numbers of droplets, before-after comparison, etc. WSP placement Random -Top and bottom leaf surface - random spot 3 level of canopy: top, middle, bottom - Trial plot Random Random 6 plots (10 m x10 m) 8 Plots ( x 50 trees) Effectiveness Monitoring Temporal aerial image analysis (every 2 weeks for 3 months) Pre and post census for pest infestation 4.0 GANTT CHART Table 2: Annual target of aerial spraying program from 2021 until 2023 2021 2022 2023 Annual Target Effectiveness for weed control Proposed SOP (Completed) Effectiveness for nursery (need re-evaluate) and bagworm control, proposed new SOP (Completed) Effectiveness of drone spraying to control rhino beetle pests. Proposed new SOP (In progress)
Table 3: Progress table of aerial spraying for Q2 2023 Year 2020 2021 Progre Task J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D ss 1. Project proposal & literature review 100% 2. Purchase equipment (device evaluation, specification model) 100% 3. Aerial spray for weed management - Determine suitable range for spray height - Detect effectiveness of droplets 100% 4. Generate standard operation procedure (SOP) of aerial spraying for Weed management 100% 5. Aerial spray at oil palm nursery - Determine suitable range for spray height - Detect effectiveness of droplets 100% Year 2022 2023 Task J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D 5. …Continue 6. 5. Aerial spray at oil palm nursery - Detect effectiveness of droplets 100% 6. Generate standard operation procedure (SOP) of aerial spraying for nursery 100% 7. Study on aerial spray for bagworm in oil palm 100% 8. Generate SOP of aerial spraying for bagworm 100% 9. Study on aerial spray for rhino beetle in oil palm 10% 10. Generate SOP of aerial spraying for rhino beetle 0% Completed In progress Yet to start
5.0 OUTCOME Q1 Project Progress: Trial at PPPTR, 10th Jan 2023 Several trials have been carried out to confirm several things related to the operation of using the DJI Agras T30, namely: i. Function of calibration point ii. Maximum flight altitude iii. Maximum spray volume per point Results Calibration points This point is very important to ensure the accuracy of the spray mission based on the determined boundaries, routes and spray points. Things that need to be done every time to do a spraying mission that requires high-level accuracy of positioning are: 1. Placing ground control point (GCP) before doing drone mapping. It is a sign to be seen in the image during the image processing for mapping the spray mission design. Then the point is marked using stick with ribbon at the GCP location as a reference point for calibration point. Figure 1: Marking equipment: GCP tarpaulin and stick with ribbon marker Figure 2: GCP visible in the image and calibration point marking
2. When processing the image in the DJI Terra application, the calibration point needs to be marked on the GCP seen in the image. 3. During the spray mission, the spraying drone must be placed at the marked GCP. This GCP serves as the first take-off point when starting the mission. 4. Then the calibration process is done by pressing the ‘calibrate point’ button on the remote-control device. This will ensure that the position of the spray mission is fixed to the actual position. 5. For continuing operations on missions that have not been completed, the drone can take off at another appropriate location, not necessarily at the calibration point location. Height limit. Referring to the Agras T30 manual specifications, the maximum height suggested is 30 meters. The experiment was carried out by raising the drone up to 40 meters in height. However, this height limit needs to look at the environmental conditions of the spray place; topography, variety of tree heights and weather. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the drone's ability to spray at high altitudes and also tall trees such as rubber trees and so on. Figure 3: Drone flight altitude test Maximum spray per point. The maximum spray for one point is 5 litres. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the ability of Agras T30 for point-to-point spray applicationssuch as applications for rhinoceros beetle infestation control and also other plants such as durian and harum manis. Figure 4: Point-to-point spray test
Drone spraying for MD2 On 28 March, a meeting was held with FGV Agro Valley Chuping (FCAV) to see how the application of drone spraying in MD2 crops, in addition to obtaining information and planning to produce drone spraying SOPs for MD2 crops. (Figure 5) Some conclusions have been obtained as follows: - The routine use of drones has been carried out involving effective microorganism (EM) and pest & disease (P&D) spraying - Foliar fertilizer spraying is still done manually due to constraints and challenges in the use of drones, namely; to get a normal rate of 30-50ml per tree equivalent to about 2000L per hectare for 42,000 plants per hectare. The mixing rate needs to be calibrated to get a rate that is more suitable to the drone's specifications. - The use of the DJI Agras T30 drone, which produces a strong turbulence force, is not suitable for plants under the age of 1 year because there is a tendency for the plant to be uprooted, due to the pull of the wind to the border plastic mulch. - Foliar fertilizer spraying in the trial plot will be done in future. Figure 5: Meeting with FCAV, FGVIF, farm manager, Mr Rashidi and the Chuping team. DJI Agras T30 Modification for central spray for rhino beetle control. On 28-29th March, the FGV R&D’s DJI Agras T30 drone was sent to SanYeong, DJI Agriculture for the modification process. The spray method for rhinoceros beetle (RB) control that requires spraying in the center of the palm shoot requires the DJI Agras T30 model to be modified because the original specification of this drone is for blanket spray/boom sprayer. There are models on the market that are specifically designed for central spray for this RB, such as the Oryctes produced by Aonic (formerly Poladrone). For DJI agricultural drone models, for now, there is no specific model for central spray for RB, the modification process needs to be done. The Agras T30 model needs to add 4 deposit points because the radar is located in the middle. This radar provides the position of the center point for mapping and spray point purposes, it cannot be disturbed and moved.
In addition, due to the relatively strong pressure from the T30 pump, which is 6 L/min compared to smaller models such as the T10 (3 L/min), a deposit point of more than 1 is required to prevent the pump from being damaged due to pressure that is not balanced with the spray deposit rate. (Figure 7) This drone has been modified with a valve to allow it to be used on-off for the central spray and blankets. The spray trial will be conducted at the trail plot in Bera Selatan 7. Figure 6: Modification work is being done by DJI Agriculture Figure 7: Agras T30 before (left) and after modification (right) with 4 central nozzles around the radar
Q2 Project Progress Drone spraying for Rhino beetle (Oryctes) control Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of drone spraying technique in controlling rhinoceros beetle infestation in replanting area. Description: The rhinoceros beetle is the most serious threat to oil palm replanting areas. Chemical treatment on the tree should be carried out in areas where rhinoceros beetle infestations exceed the Economic Threshold Level(ETL) (> 5%). The most common method is to spray each palm tree sapling in the affected area with a backpack knapsack sprayer. Recently, the use of drones is now found to be more efficient than traditional methods. Spraying application by drones is more accurate and uniform, in addition to being able to reduce labour. The effectiveness of drone spraying with a new alternative pesticide was also investigated in this study. This research was initiated on 30-31st of March at the PR21M replanting area, FGVPM Bera Selatan 7. The trial plots were prepared by the crop protection team with several treatment methods using different types of pesticides as describe in Table 4. Table 4: List of treatment and dosage recommendation No Product name Active ingredient Dosage No of oil palm No of replication T1 CMC - Drone Cypermethrin 5.5% 10 ml/litre 100 4 T2 Alika - Drone Thiamethoxam & Lamda Cyhalothrin 1.4 ml/litre 100 4 T3 CMC Standard estate Control (CKS pump) Cypermethrin 5.5% 10 ml/litre 100 4 Before the spray work is done, mapping work has been carried out to determine the spray point. Mapping was done using a DJI phantom 4 RTK drone and DJI Terra software. A total of 8 trial plots were sprayed using drones. Each plot has 50 tree stands (5 x 10 rows) (Figure 8) Figure 8: Point mapping for point-to-point spraying (left) and spray mission plots (right)
Figure 9: Spray route setup following the oil palm height Figure 10: Spray target: On target (left) and off target (right) For this trial area, the age of the oil palm is 3 years old, and the prescribed rate is 200 ml per tree. Using a modified DJI Agras T30 drone for centre spray, several experiments were performed to obtain suitable aerial spray parameters as shows in Table 5 and the result in Table 6. Table 5: Drone spray experiments Test Nozzle type Flight speed (m/s) Flight altitude (from canopy) (m) Flow rate (L/min) Test 1 Spiral nozzle (Figure 11) - - - Test 2 Without nozzle. (Figure 12) 1.5 3 2.5 Test 3 Solid stream (Figure 13) 2 2 3
Table 6: Results of drone spray experiments Test Result Test 1 Spray width diameter is 55 cm. Spray width not suitable, too wide that cause waste of pesticide. Test 2 Free flow deposition. Acceptable, but need to slow down the flight speed due to the deposition tend to drift cause by inertia-momentum force from drone move-stop spray activity. But the flight speed is quite slow, affecting productivity. Test 3 Most suitable. Preferred flight parameter. Figure 11: Spiral nozzle- not suitable due to wide spray diameter Figure 12: Without nozzle liquid will be sprayed as free flow deposit