Impact of Herbicide Variance with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Knapsack Spraying Techniques on Weed Metrics and Yield in Groundnut

Background: The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of the knapsack sprayer application and drone spray on the performance of the groundnut crop. Conventional herbicide application methods using ground-based spraying methods often suffer from poor accuracy, low uniformity and excessive chemical usage. Applying herbicides effectively at the correct dosage and delivery parameters is crucial for efficient weed control and reducing chemical wastage. Of late, drone application of agrochemical has become popular. Therefore, the present study aims to identify the optimal spray volume and drone spray height to enhance precision in herbicide application for groundnut. Methods: Field trail were conducted during the rabi season of 2022-23 and 2023-24 at Regional Agriculture Research Station, Research Farm in Telangana. An AGRICOPTER AG 365 UAV was used for aerial application, while knapsack sprayers were employed for comparison. Treatments involving three doses of herbicide (75%, 100% and 125% of the recommended dose) were prepared with 25 and 40 L ha-1 spray volumes at 2.0 and 2.5m of spray height. Observations on weed dynamics were conducted before application, 15, 30 DAA and pod yield was recorded at the harvest of the crop. Result: The results showed that UAV spraying provided improved precision, labour savings and environmental impact with enhanced sustainable groundnut cultivation compared to the conventional methods. The study found the highest weed population was observed with the 75% and lowest with the 125%. In contrary, pod yield obtained was superior in the recommended dose of the herbicide in UAV and knapsack spraying.