đź«’ Drone Spraying for Olive Groves: Ending the Battle Against Olive Fruit Fly and Peacock Spot on Steep Slopes
Precision in Every Drop. Care in Every Flight.
You’ve spent 10–15 years nurturing your olive trees in the Langkloof, Montagu, or De Rust. But now, olive fruit fly (OFF) is ruining your oil quality—and peacock spot is defoliating your canopy.
Worse? Your grove is on a 25° slope. Tractors can’t climb it without risking rollover. Manual spraying is slow, dangerous, and misses the upper branches where OFF lays its eggs.
You’re not alone. But you’re not out of options.
Drone spraying is now the smartest way to protect high-value olive groves in South Africa—and it’s designed for exactly your terrain.
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The Olive Grower’s Dilemma
Olive fruit fly is active from dusk to dawn—peaking in late summer and autumn. Traditional daytime spraying misses the window. And peacock spot thrives in cool, wet spring conditions, often when soil is too soft for machinery.
The consequences:
– OFF larvae cause premature fruit drop and rancid oil
– Peacock spot reduces photosynthesis → lower yields
– Kaolin clay or copper sprays are wasted if coverage is poor
On steep land, the problem compounds: incomplete coverage = total loss in affected zones.
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Why Drones Win on Slopes
Our DJI Agras T50 is built for the Langkloof’s rugged terrain:
– 40-litre payload with spreader system for kaolin or wettable powders
– RTK-GPS accuracy to follow contour lines precisely
– Night-spraying capability—target OFF during peak activity
– Downwash airflow ensures spray reaches inner canopy and undersides of leaves
> Pilot results with De Rustica Estate (2024): Drone-applied spinosad reduced OFF infestation by 82% vs. 58% with manual backpack sprayers.
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Cost That Makes Sense for Olives
Olive farming is high-value but low-margin. That’s why our pricing is transparent:
– Standard rate: R220–R300/ha
– Night or emergency OFF response: R320–R350/ha
– Kaolin clay application (spreader system): R280/ha
No tractor fuel. No labour overtime. No soil erosion.
For a 20-hectare grove, that’s under R6,000 per critical spray—a small price to protect R200,000+ in oil revenue.
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Beyond Pest Control: Healing the Land
We also help olive farms regenerate:
– Drone seeding with native fynbos after fire or invasive clearing
– Thermal monitoring (M30T) to detect irrigation faults or root stress
– Soil health mapping to guide cover cropping
Because your grove isn’t just a crop—it’s an ecosystem.
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Ready to Protect Your Liquid Gold?
If your olive trees grow on a slope too steep for tractors, you’re not behind—you’re ahead of the curve.
Sources: ARC Onderstepoort Olive Research, De Rustica Estate Trial Data, DJI Agras T50 Field Manual