Oper8 organized it’s fourth international webinar on November 7th dedicated to drones for weed control. 123 persons attend this webinar, with a variety of profiles: researchers, advisors, regulatory specialists and students.

The first presentation was dedicated to regulation in Europe with some concrete examples of spraying with drones in vineyard focusing on testing several elevation, nozzle and combination with drift evaluation.

Two other presentations showed experiments of the use of UAV in Spain and Sweden for weed control. Drones collect images at different possible altitudes, which can be used as a monitoring system for weed control : identification, localization and abundance of the weeds. Based on vegetation indexes and multipectral indexes, UAV can recognize weeds. Images can be then traduced into maps that can be used to adapt the operations in field. Finally, Spraydrone company presented its technology and practical cases of application in Sweden.

Program and speakers for this webinar: 

  • Spraying drones, their applications towards alternative weed control, and the current regulations in Europe: Mr Vasilis Psiroukis, Department of Natural Resources Management & Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, (Greece)
  • Understanding the use of UAV in agroecological weeding practices: Mr Javier Santiago, Doctor in plant production & Rosa Mosquera, Full Profesor Crop Production and Project Engineering Department of University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
  • Drones for site specific weed control and spot spraying: Igor Tihonov, Founder and CEO, Solvi AB (Sweden)
  • Spraydrone: Alternative solutions for weed detection and treatments: Martin Braaen, Co-founder, Spraydrone AB (Sweden)
Webinar #4 | Oper8

See our previous webinar

Webinar #1

The first webinar focused on Electrical Weeding as an alternative weed control method. Titled “Solutions for Alternative Weed Control #1: Electric Weeding – Case Studies in Vineyard, Grassland, and Fruit Production,” the event aimed to share experts’ work with a wide audience, including Oper8 experts, partners, AKIS ecosystem actors, and relevant stakeholders. This was part of the Oper8 project’s goal to promote technical and scientific knowledge across Europe.
The webinar presented expertise on Electrical Weeding, complementing on-field demonstrations and local workshops. Topics included its use and challenges in grassland, fruit production, and vineyards, machinery development, and trial results.

Webinar #2

The second webinar, held in October 2023, continued facilitating cross-border knowledge exchange among EU partners. Titled “Cover Crops Use Across Europe,” it examined the needs, gaps, and barriers in using cover crops, agronomic strategies for their introduction in various cropping systems, and their role in weed management and ecosystem services.

It also covered strategies for integrating cover crops into winegrowing, machines for managing cover crops, and practical experiences and innovations across Europe.

The webinar attracted 100 participants, including the same target audience as the first webinar.

Webinar #3

The third webinar, held in May 2024, titled “Robots: A Robust Alternative for Weed Control?” explored robotic technology in agricultural weed management. It highlighted technological advances that led to autonomous robots capable of identifying and eliminating weeds, reducing the need for chemical herbicides. The ecological benefits, such as reduced chemical use and soil disturbance, and long-term cost-effectiveness were discussed.

The webinar featured case studies of successful robot implementations in various crops and ongoing research to enhance precision and reliability. Challenges and future developments, including AI and machine learning integration, were also covered.

Approximately 100 attendees participated.