The potential of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for precision pest control of possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Morley, Craig; Braodley, James; Hartley, Robin; Herries, David; MacMorran, Duncan

doi:10.3897/rethinkingecology.2.14821

Cited by 22 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…29 UAVs are therefore widely used in agriculture, for example, in monitoring farmland, pesticide application, sowing and fertilization. 30 However, there are few applications in the field of Trichogramma carrier release.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological control technology and application based on agricultural unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intelligent delivery of insect natural enemies (Trichogramma) carrier

Zhan

Chen

Wang

et al. 2021

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUND: Agricultural pests and diseases affect grain yield and quality. In addition to the use of chemical agents, the biological control of diseases and insect pests has attracted more and more attention due to an urgent need for environmental protection. However, traditional operational methods do not integrate well with biological control technology. With the advantages of simple operation, low operating cost, high operating efficiency and wide application range, use of multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in biological control is of great significance.RESULTS: An intelligent delivery system comprising an insect natural enemy (Trichogramma) capsule based on an M45 electric multirotor UAV was built to release Trichogramma ostriniae in corn fields under full autonomous mode. During operation, the M45 UAV can fly accurately in accordance with operational requirements; average deviation between the actual and planned routes was 0.24 m, the average flight speed was 9.18 m s −1 and the average altitude was 5.08 m. The effective coverage rate of natural enemies was 99.33% and the coverage redundancy was 36.75%. After delivery, an investigation into the field control effect showed an average control effect of 83.70%, which can result in effective pest control.CONCLUSION: A natural enemy carrier intelligent delivery system based on an M45 electric multirotor UAV was found to have good flight performance. In addition, natural enemies were evenly distributed, giving even coverage of the target fields.The system had a good control effect.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological control technology and application based on agricultural unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intelligent delivery of insect natural enemies (Trichogramma) carrier

Zhan

Chen

Wang

et al. 2021

Pest Management Science

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“…Already, the integration of UAV technology has shown promise across a range of conservation, biodiversity, forestry, and biosecurity sectors in New Zealand and globally. For example, UAVs have been used for a variety of applications, including forest and wildlife monitoring and surveillance [17][18][19], seed dispersal for forest restoration [20], possum control [21], and crop spraying [22,23].…”

Section: Uavs As a Means Of Targeted Biosecuritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Biosecurity: Enabling Participatory-Design to Help Address Social Licence to Operate Issues

Ogilvie

McCarthy

Allen

et al. 2019

Forests

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Forest health can be adversely affected by invasive organisms. Biosecurity measures to prevent the establishment of harmful invasive organisms at national points of entry (e.g., airports or shipping ports) are vital to protect forest health. Innovations in pest eradication technologies are being developed based on their efficiencies and effectiveness. However, the question of whether people find them acceptable is rarely considered. In New Zealand, research is underway into the use of highly targeted pesticide spraying using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a novel technology to eradicate pest species that impact forest, food, and fibre sectors. Public approval for such technologies, however, can be a critical aspect for their success. A tool can be technically effective (achieve eradication), but uptake may be impossible if communities do not trust the technology. We developed a method for enabling discussions about the use of UAVs and their acceptability in general before being operationalized for biosecurity. This paper presents an investigation of how “participatory-design”, an often tactile, visual, and inclusive process of community engagement can improve the acceptance of technology use in the public sphere. We asked people, both scientists and citizens, to evaluate the acceptability of a range of UAV uses (including biosecurity) along a continuum and then explored the reasons for their placement. Key criteria for acceptable and unacceptable uses were subsequently developed to help technology designers and operators consider aspects of social acceptability during design processes. Our tool and approach facilitated discussions around technology acceptability that were subsequently adopted by our technical design team for the development and the use of acceptable UAVs for biosecurity. This research shows how systematic approaches to design can help uncover and mitigate social acceptability issues through inclusive design under increasing threats of biosecurity, whether related to challenges of trade or climate change.

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“…Emerging technologies still requiring significant research and development include advances in wireless technology for species recognition; the next generation of self-resetting traps; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); and improved species-specific toxin-delivery systems (Murphy et al 2018) enhanced with advanced lures and new toxins to combine low-residue characteristics with selectivity and humaneness (Eason et al 2017). UAVs may soon have the capability of carrying >15-kg payloads to deliver precise amounts of toxin to exact locations to target pests (Morley et al 2017). Flying at beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) may also be rapidly resolved with sophisticated technological advances and improved regulations, if potential risks are mitigated (Philip Solaris, X-Craft Ltd., pers.…”

Section: -2050mentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Trends in the Development of Rodenticides and Mammalian Pest Control Technologies

Eason¹,

Linklater²,

Jackson³

et al. 2018

vertebrate_pest_conference

Self Cite

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The history of discoveries in rodenticide development and control technology as well as current and future-focused research are explored. Traps and older poisons such as red squill, arsenic, and cyanide have been used for hundreds if not thousands of years. Between 1940 and 1980 there was a period of innovation with the discovery of new molecules, including acute toxins and slower acting anticoagulants. The period 1980 to 2018 has been a time for improved utilization of individual tools and research to retain registrations, develop new toxins and delivery systems, and explore non-lethal control options. However, despite these advances, decades old broad-spectrum toxins and traplines are still the mainstay of pest control. Technological leaps are needed to achieve much more precise, affordable, and socially acceptable pest control. The period 2018 to 2050 should be a time for accelerated innovation. There are exciting opportunities for transformational change based on the integration of existing and new tools, such as advances in automated species recognition systems, new self-resetting traps, and species-specific toxin-delivery systems. Over-reliance on 'silver bullet' technologies for small mammal pest control is the wrong approach to biodiversity conservation. This has been demonstrated through two decades of challenging research on viral vectored immunocontraception, and would apply if all pest control research focused on a single toxin, one new engineering-based technology, or on gene editing, which has potential, but will not be a panacea for all mammal pests. Balance is important, with research supporting the skill of pest control practitioners and supporting emerging technologies, as well as novel biocontrol or genetic research. There has been no focused research aimed at integrating a broad suite of new tools, and incorporating disruptive technologies from completely different fields. We believe that science and technology have now advanced such that automated, online, and real-time systems for monitoring and managing pests are achievable in the next decade.

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The potential of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for precision pest control of possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Cited by 22 publications

References 55 publications

Biological control technology and application based on agricultural unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intelligent delivery of insect natural enemies (Trichogramma) carrier

Biological control technology and application based on agricultural unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intelligent delivery of insect natural enemies (Trichogramma) carrier

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Biosecurity: Enabling Participatory-Design to Help Address Social Licence to Operate Issues

Global Trends in the Development of Rodenticides and Mammalian Pest Control Technologies

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