Kazakhstan deploys drones to release beneficial insects onto crops
Scientists of the Zhiembayev Kazakh Scientific Plant Protection and Quarantine Research Institute developed an innovative technology to automatically distribute beneficial insects (entomophages) across agricultural fields, Qazinform News Agency cites the Agriculture Ministry.
The technology, called BioDrop, helps increase the biological efficiency of crop protection.
Drones disseminate BioDrop capsules, biodegradable spheres containing entomophages, the natural enemies of crop pests. Species used include Trichogramma spp. and Habrobracon hebetor.
Drones release capsules along a pre-programmed route; once on the ground, insects gradually emerge and begin targeting pests.
Drone distribution is four to six times faster than manual methods.
Field trials showed 81–83% biological efficiency with BioDrop, compared to 70–73% using traditional hand release, an improvement of 10–11 percentage points.
Manual release took 1–1.5 hours per plot, while drones completed the same work in 10–15 minutes.
It is already implemented in four farms in Kazakhstan proving its viability.
In the future, the technology may be applied in precision agriculture and phytosanitary monitoring systems.
Use of entomophages helps develop eco-friendly plant protection, reducing reliance on chemical pesticides.
Besides, Kazakhstan was reported to deploy 46 agricultural drones this year for targeted chemical treatment of farmland to fight against locust spread.