Drones are being used to fight the spread of a small agriculture pest threatening species of palm trees, the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water has said.

 

The unmanned aerial vehicles are being used to collect data on the red palm weevils and identify trees infected with the species.

 

Mohammed Abdullah, director of the ministry’s agriculture research department, said: “The adoption of drone technology forms part of the ministry’s efforts to implement the best environmental and agricultural practices to achieve sustainable development.”

 

Drones find the locations of areas infected with red palm weevils by detecting the electromagnetic radiation being released by infected trees.

 

The data is then collected to map and measure its spectral signature, which identifies the types, locations and degrees of injuries.