Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/696561
WINERY & VINEYARD EQUIPMENT 50 WINES&VINES July 2016 U nmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have great promise in viticulture, but grapegrowers are just beginning to put them to use. These small aircraft can be used to assess the condition of vines using visual, infrared and near-infrared cameras more economically than manned aircraft and have other advantages such as being able to fly closer to vines or being used regularly to provide a pattern of vineyard development. Most UAVs can operate automatically, scan- ning a vineyard using GPS to specified coordinates. Images by themselves aren't very useful, and most com- panies that sell UAVs or UAV imaging services also offer software to help extract information that can help growers make decisions from when to apply treatments or water to when it's time to pick different blocks. One larger version, the Yamaha RMAX remote-con- trolled helicopter, can even spray vines with pesticides and fungicides more quickly than a person can, and the downdraft from the rotors encourages even coverage such as under leaves. Yamaha Motor Corp. recently opened an office at the airport in Napa County, Calif., for spraying agricultural land in Napa and Sonoma counties with its RMAX. On May 18, it performed the first U.S. commercial crop spray- ing by UAV on a Napa Valley vineyard, applying a fungicide for Silverado Farming Co. to stave off powdery mildew. Yamaha has been using RMAX helicopters internation- ally for 19 years, but it had to wait several years to get approval in the United States. UAV suppliers say the machines are safer, faster and provide more reliable application of treatments with no soil compaction. The nascent UAV market includes airframe suppliers, service providers, imaging equipment and software sup- pliers and expertise for analysis. Some companies offer only one element, but most prefer to provide more com- prehensive services. The following pages contain a summary of UAVs for the viticultural market. Specifications and prices are subject to change. Check with suppliers for details. Many other companies offer imaging services and analy- sis—including those based on manned aircraft and satel- lites—but some of these are starting to offer or investigate the use of UAVs. Note that the Federal Aviation Administration views all agricultural activity of UAVs as commercial drone operation. This means the operator must have a Section 333 exemp- tion to fly as well as a pilot's license PRODUCT FOCUS Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Commercial application for wine grapes is just beginning By Paul Franson Yamaha Motor Corp. recently opened an office at the airport in Napa County, Calif., for spraying agricultural land in Napa and Sonoma counties with its RMAX.