Pohang City Implements Unmanned Aerial Pest Control for Rice: Addressing Labor Shortages and Timely Management

Second Round of Pest Control on 5,800 ha in Guryongpo and 11 Other Towns

Full-Scale Unmanned Helicopter Operation, Enhanced Precision Spraying Effect

Pohang City has successfully completed this year's aerial pest control for rice crops.

Aerial Control of Rice Diseases and Pests.

The aerial pest control for rice in Pohang City, which began at the end of July, was conducted twice, covering 5,800 hectares in Guryongpo-eup and 11 other towns and townships, receiving a positive response from local farmers.

The aerial pest control targets late-season rice diseases and pests such as rice blast, sheath blight, and rice leaf folder, and is carried out to address labor shortages due to the aging farming population and to stably produce high-quality rice through timely and collective pest management.

In particular, starting this year, the city used unmanned helicopters for all operations, which allowed for more precise spraying compared to manned aircraft, thereby increasing the effectiveness of pest control. Additionally, a remote pest control application was used for collective operations, enabling real-time monitoring to ensure that no fields were missed.

This aerial pest control was conducted in two rounds: the first from July 26 to August 1, and the second from August 22 to September 2, with a total of 36 unmanned helicopters deployed for simultaneous collective pest control.

For fields where pest control was not possible due to geographical conditions, pest control chemicals will be supplied by the 10th.

Kwon Gihyuk, Head of Technology Extension, stated, "With the ongoing heatwave and the hot and humid summer conditions increasing the incidence of pests and diseases, we will continue to make every effort to promote aerial pest control for rice to support Pohang City's rice farmers who are facing difficulties in their agricultural work."

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