St. Petersburg Federal ResearchCenter of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPC RAS) and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Novgorod Region have signed a Cooperation Agreement. The document is aimed atintroducing drones into the agro-industrial complex of the region toperform a wide range of tasks.
The agreement was signed by Andrey Ronzhin, Director of SPC RAS, and Viktor Vitsky, Head of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture.
"Year after year, Novgorod Research Agriculture Institute -Branch of SPC RAS, extends cooperationwith the Ministry of Agriculture of the Novgorod Region. The NovgorodExperimental Station, establishedalmost 50 yearsago, notaccidentally possess landplots withdifferent agrochemical parameters characteristicof mostsoils in the North-West of Russia. The knowledgeaccumulated during the experimentswith introducedfeeds can possibly be implemented in the agricultural production of the Northern Non-Chernozem region of Russia. With the participation of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Novgorod Region, it is planned to exercise a systematic study on the introduction of liquid substancesfrom dronesat potatocultivation and the development of specialized software and hardware forspecialized attachments," said Andrey Ronzhin.
First experience of joint work between the SPC RAS researchers and specialists of the regional institutiondemonstrated good results.So, inSeptember of 2023, in the Shimsky district of the Novgorod region,on the territory of the agricultural cooperative "Oratai",test flights of a drone took place. Withits help, desiccation of potato greens was executed (i.e., drying of the aboveground part of the plants).According to farmers,this procedureaccelerates the maturation of tubers, promotesthickening of the peel, bringsharvest closer and prolongs the shelf life of potatoes, aswell as prevents the spread of infectionsand the appearance of diseases suchas late blight.
Droneprovided transportation of various payloads– up to 12 kg. At the same time - the flight time is up to 25 minutesat a travelspeed of - up to 40km/h. There are plans to use drones tomonitor the condition of fields, plants treatment to protect themagainst diseases.
According to Oleg Shakhov,Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Novgorod Region, in addition to agriculture, drones are planned to be used in the veterinaryservice and the forestry complex.
"We will develop an independent structureto be implementedby the Ministries of Agriculture, Natural Resources,Veterinary and Hunting,and FishingCommittees of the Novgorod Region. We expect to recruit a staff of professionals who willdeal with the use of UAVs," Oleg Shakhovaccentuated.
