Sauska winery replaced helicopters with drones

For years, the famous Hungarian winery Sauska has been working to create a pioneering solution for those in the agricultural and viticultural fields. Since UAVs are great for accessing hard-to-reach areas and preventing trample damage in the soils, Sauska decided to test out spray drones and whether they can work efficiently in vineyards. They carried out tests with different types of drones and nozzles. First, Sauska replaced pesticides with a water-based dye that reacts to UV light, becoming fluorescent. After spraying, they checked the spray patterns on different surfaces of the plants and analyzed them using UV lamps. The spray patterns showed how many leaves and phloems were covered and how much substance reached the target. Drones have achieved outstanding results and worked best with absorbed conventional agents.

People at Sauska are currently measuring the effectiveness of spray drones in extreme weather conditions. They monitor the number of droplets reaching the target and whether that is sufficient to provide a high level of crop protection. If drone spraying can prove effective under these conditions, they can confidently conclude that drones will perform even better under ideal spraying conditions in suitable weather. For the winery, the question is no longer whether they want to integrate drone spraying into their vineyard workflow but rather which are the most appropriate and efficient drone solutions for their processes. Due to extreme weather conditions becoming so common, this innovation can be an excellent investment. Sauska is sure that other agricultural production companies will soon catch up with integrating the technology.