Imsil-gun Implements Timely Rice Pest and Disease Control Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

First Round of Pest Control with 33 Units Deployed Starting Late This Month

Photo by Imsil-gun Provided

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Nosik] Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk, is launching aerial pest control of rice using unmanned aerial vehicles to help farms struggling with labor shortages.

On the 28th, the county announced that it will conduct aerial pest control of rice twice this year to minimize damage by timely controlling pests and diseases occurring in rice.

The aerial pest control project is a campaign pledge of the 7th local government administration and is a project in which the administration and local agricultural cooperatives cooperate to control pests and diseases such as rice blast and planthoppers in the mid-to-late stages of rice cultivation.

The total project cost is 912 million KRW, with 40% of the control cost borne by the county, 20% by local agricultural cooperatives, and farmers only need to bear 40%.

The county plans to conduct aerial pest control in two phases. For the first phase, starting at the end of this month, 33 unmanned aerial vehicles including 15 unmanned helicopters and 18 drones will be deployed to spray pesticides over 2,699 hectares.

Also, the second phase of aerial pest control will be expanded to all towns and townships, targeting 5,374 hectares, which is 774 hectares more than last year.

The aerial pest control will proceed from the end of this month, with unmanned helicopters operating in Osu-myeon, Jisa-myeon, Imsil-eup, Cheongung-myeon, Seongsu-myeon, and Gwanchon-myeon, and drones operating sequentially in Imsil-eup, Osu-myeon, Sindeok-myeon, Samgye-myeon, Deokchi-myeon, Seongsu-myeon, Cheongung-myeon, Sinpyeong-myeon, Gwanchon-myeon, Gangjin-myeon, Unam-myeon, and Jisa-myeon.

The spraying times are from 5:30 AM to 10:00 AM and from 4:00 PM until sunset, when the wind is weak to minimize drift and maximize control effectiveness. The schedule may change depending on weather conditions.

The second phase of aerial pest control is planned to be carried out after the 20th of next month, considering weather conditions.

County Governor Shim Min said, “I hope that the aerial pest control of rice, which is being promoted as a pledge project, will alleviate the difficulties of rural areas facing labor shortages,” and added, “We will continue to promote joint pest control projects to reduce labor for rice farmers and improve farm income.”

For more details about aerial pest control of rice pests and diseases, please contact the Crop Environment Team of the Agricultural Technology Center’s Technology Extension Division.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.