International Symposium "Cultivating the AgriFuture | Agricultural UAV Spraying" was held.

One of the promising technology that is revolutasing agricultural domain is UAV.

Starting from capturing data from the agricultural fields, it allows farmers to apply

agricultural inputs such as pesticides, nutrients, and a variety of seeds. While data driven agriculture assists to define problematic locations and also optimizing

management operations, supports sustainable production. Applying pesticides with

UAV has advantages as listed below;

1- The decreasing volume of water (10-20 liters/ha instead of using 250-1500

liters/ha)

2- Minimizing soil compaction caused by field traffic

3- Decreasing yield lost (%5 - 15 of total yield) due to tractor and sprayer

4- Spraying free of soil moisture

5- Early weed management that allows for minimizing soil moisture variation in

the field at the seeding stage

6- Matching pest and disease frequency exactly (due to irrigation operation, the

timing of operation creates luck of success, failure, or more chemical use) and

optimizing pesticide cost.

7- Eliminating vector effects of pets and disease spread and propagation caused

by tractor and sprayer

8- Fast and effective reaction and spraying

9- Avoiding depreciation and fuel consumption of tractor and sprayer

10- Minimizing personal chemical contact during the operation

11- To eliminate water+chemical leakage from the crop tissue to the soil surface,

which is a common problem in a conventional spraying application

On the other hand, several issues and challenges need to be discussed and found

solutions. The symposium focused on national and international regulations &

training; UAV spraying technologies, formulations, adjuvants, and also future

projections of UAV Spraying.

On the second day, a field demonstration was taken place in a field.

Keynote speakers were from the national and international ecosystems.

Agrobusiness was a strategic partner of the symposium.