What types of crops can be treated using agricultural drones?

Drones are incredibly versatile and can be used across a wide variety of UK agricultural environments. At QuadRotor, we adapt our commercial fruit production systems and arable strategies to match the specific architecture of your crop. However, the type of treatment depends entirely on whether you are using an aerial drone or a ground-based rover.

In open fields, drones are widely used to manage cereal crops, oilseed rape and cover crops by broadcasting seeds or applying micro nutrients. In protected horticulture, they provide rapid maintenance solutions for extensive glasshouse and polytunnel setups.

For complex structures like orchards and vineyards, a combined approach is required. Aerial drones are deployed from above to handle mapping, health audits and top-down organic treatments. Because UK regulations prohibit the aerial application of synthetic crop protection, autonomous ground rovers navigate ground-level alleys to apply essential fungicides, herbicides, and biocides directly to the rows.

• Soft Fruit and Polytunnels: Aerial drones are ideal for applying external liquid shading agents and releasing predatory mites over extensive tunnel blocks.

• Top Fruit Orchards: Drones map canopy density and deliver foliar nutrition from above, while ground rovers apply standard fungicides between tree rows.

• Commercial Vineyards: Aerial units handle early-season mapping and morning dew clearance, while ground-based rovers manage steep slope weed control and disease prevention sprays.