How Drones Are Outsmarting Codling Moth and Fire Blight in South African Apple & Pear Orchards
Precision in Every Drop. Care in Every Flight.
If you farm apples or pears in the Langkloof, Humansdorp, or Ceres, you know two things for sure:
1. Your slopes are too steep for tractors.
2. Codling moth and fire blight don’t care how hard it is to reach your trees—they’ll find a way in.
But what if you could treat your entire canopy—top to bottom—with pinpoint accuracy, without driving a single wheel onto your soil?
Enter drone-based precision spraying: not science fiction, but a working reality for forward-thinking pome fruit farmers across South Africa.
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The Old Way Isn’t Working (Especially on Slopes)
Traditional ground sprayers struggle on inclines steeper than 15%. In the Langkloof, that’s most orchards. The result?
– Missed upper canopies → codling moth larvae thrive in untreated fruit
– Chemical drift → wasted product, environmental risk, neighbour complaints
– Soil compaction → damaged root zones, reduced water infiltration
– Labour shortages → fewer workers willing to handle toxic sprays in heat
And when fire blight (that fast-moving bacterial disease) strikes in spring, timing is everything. A 48-hour delay can mean the difference between saving a block—or losing it.
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Enter the DJI Agras T50: A Drone Built for Pome Fruit
At Langkloof Agri-Tech, we deploy the DJI Agras T50—a 40-litre agricultural drone engineered for steep, high-value orchards. Here’s how it changes the game:
✅ Full Canopy Penetration
The T50’s powerful downwash airflow forces spray droplets deep into the tree—reaching the undersides of leaves and inner branches where codling moth eggs hide. No more “spray and pray.”
✅ RTK-Guided Precision
With centimetre-level GPS accuracy, the drone follows pre-programmed flight paths, ensuring zero overlap or missed rows. You spray only what’s needed—nothing more.
✅ 30% Less Water, 25% Less Chemical
Because the spray is targeted and drift is minimised, you use less water and fewer agrochemicals—cutting input costs and reducing environmental impact. That’s good for your margins and your land.
✅ No Soil Damage, No Labour Risk
The drone flies. Your soil stays undisturbed. Your workers remain safe. And your orchard’s long-term health improves.
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Threats, Real SoReal lutions
🐛 Codling Moth: The Silent Yield Killer
This pest tunnels into fruit within days of petal fall. In untreated blocks, losses can exceed 30%.
Drone advantage:
– Apply mating disruption pheromones or bio-insecticides (like Cydia pomonella granulovirus) during critical windows—even at night.
– Re-treat quickly after rain without waiting for tractors to dry out.
– Cover 10–15 hectares per day per drone, even on 30° slopes.
> Field trials in the Western Cape (2023, ARC Infruitec) showed drone-applied codling moth controls achieved 92% efficacy—on par with ground rigs, but with 35% less chemical use.
🔥 Fire Blight: The Bacterial Emergency
Caused by Erwinia amylovora, fire blight turns blossoms black, wilts shoots, and can kill young trees in weeks. It spreads fast in warm, wet spring conditions—exactly when orchards are hardest to access.
Drone advantage:
– Rapidly apply copper-based bactericides or biocontrol agents (like Blossom Protect) during bloom—within hours of a weather alert.
– Avoid human contact with infected tissue, reducing cross-contamination.
– Map infected zones with thermal/NDVI drones (like our Matrice M30T) to isolate outbreaks early.
> A 2022 UC Davis study found drone spraying reduced fire blight incidence by 40% compared to delayed ground applications—simply because treatment happened faster.
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What It Costs (And What You Save)
Our Drone Spraying as a Service (DSaaS) model means no upfront investment for you.
– Typical rate: R180–R350 per hectare, depending on crop density, slope, and chemical type
– Compare that to:
– Tractor spraying: R250–R450/ha (plus fuel, labour, soil repair)
– Fixed-wing aircraft: R600+/ha (with high drift risk and scheduling delays)
And remember: 30% less chemical use = direct savings on inputs. Plus, healthier trees mean higher pack-out rates and better prices at Lanko or De Toit packhouses.
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This Isn’t Just Tech—It’s Stewardship
At Langkloof Agri-Tech, we don’t just fly drones. We’re farmers’ partners in **land recovery and resilience.
Our drones also help with:
– Post-fire fynbos restoration (via drone seeding)
– Earth dam sealing (to stop water loss in drought)
– Orchard health mapping (spot stress before it shows in fruit)
We’re based right here in Uniondale—because we believe the future of South African farming isn’t in Silicon Valley. It’s in the Langkloof, the Sundays River Valley, and every steep slope where tradition meets innovation.
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Ready to Protect Your Pome Fruit—Without Compromising Your Land?
If your orchard is on a slope too steep for tractors, you’re not out of options.
You’re just ready for a smarter approach.
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Sources & Further Reading:
– Agricultural Research Council (ARC) – Infruitec, Codling Moth Management Guidelines, 2023
– University of California Davis, Fire Blight Control Using UAVs, 2022
– DJI Agras T50 Technical Specifications, 2024
– Citrus Academy & PPECB Integrated Pest Management Reports
