tecnología de aplicación
broca del café
UAV
Chemical control
application technology
coffee berry borer
UAV
Controle químico
tecnologia de aplicação
broca do café
UAV
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The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) is the most limiting pest in Colombian coffee production. Conventional spraying equipment requires high volumes of spray mixture per hectare and demands significant labor in both quantity and quality. In response to this issue, the objective of the present study was to evaluate spray quality and borer control using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the physical quality of the spraying was assessed using DJI Agras MG-1 and MG-1S UAVs, equipped with flat-fan, drift-reducing, and hollow-cone nozzles, operating at speeds ranging from 1 to 7 m s- ¹. Variables such as coverage, droplet size, and percentage of surface coverage were analyzed in coffee plantations of two age groups. In the second stage, the biological efficacy of a commercial mixture of thiamethoxam + chlorantraniliprole was evaluated when applied with the MG-1S UAV. The selected nozzles from the first stage were used, applying three spray volumes and doses of 350, 500, and 1000 cm³ ha- ¹. A handheld backpack sprayer was used as a relative control. The results showed that drone applications provided adequate droplet distribution within the productive canopy strata of coffee trees in their second and fourth harvests, particularly with TJ XR11001, TX4, and TX6 nozzles at a flight speed of 1 m s- ¹. From a dose of 500 cm³ ha- ¹ onward, almond protection levels were comparable to those achieved with the control treatment, protecting approximately 70% of the fruits on average. It is concluded that, under the conditions of this study, the use of UAVs for spraying represents a viable and efficient alternative for controlling the coffee berry borer in Colombia.
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