Vegetable spraying by drone
We treat vegetables without trampling the rows or damaging the crop. After rain we do not wait for the mud to dry: all we need is a dry access road to the field. Vegetables carry the standard surcharge of €10 per hectare, so the price is €30 to €35 per hectare.
Which vegetables we spray by drone
We treat field vegetables only. Fields of 10 ha or more we take anywhere in Serbia; smaller fields within 20 km of Opovo. Travel within 50 km of Opovo is free.
Vegetables are sprayed for the same reasons as field crops: most often we apply fungicides, insecticides, biological products and foliar feeds. Herbicides we apply only in exceptional cases, making sure there are no crops nearby that drift could damage. Vegetables need noticeably more water per hectare than field crops (which use 15 to 20 L/ha), so the treatment costs more: more water means more landings and more flights.
Under cover, we only offer greenhouse shading from the outside, with a product you choose and buy. We do not spray crop protection products inside greenhouses.
Colorado potato beetle and potato late blight
The strong airflow from the rotors drives fine droplets down to the lower leaves in the row. What to spray and when we decide from PIS warnings and the advice of your agronomist, who chooses the product and the rate.
Potato late blight: on wet days and straight after rain the risk of infection is very high, and incubation takes only 5 to 7 days. That is why advisory services such as PIS Vojvodina regularly call for a treatment in areas that have had rain (Poljosfera, PIS Vojvodina, 2020). The advantage of the drone is that after rain it can work as soon as the road to the field is passable, with no machinery in the mud.
Colorado potato beetle: an insecticide treatment works best once 30 to 50% of the larvae have hatched, because first and second instar larvae are the most susceptible. In our conditions the beetle has two to three generations a year on average, and adults emerge from the soil once the temperature passes 12 °C (Galenika Fitofarmacija, 2021). Before every flight with insecticides we inform local beekeepers so they can shut their hives.
When potatoes can safely be lifted (the pre-harvest interval, PHI) is set only by the label of the product used or by your advisory service. More on this: pre-harvest and re-entry intervals.
Potato spraying calendar
These stages follow standard protection programmes (for example Galenika Fitofarmacija). The exact day is set by PIS and your agronomist.
| Potato stage | Late blight | Colorado potato beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Rows forming | First treatment | Treatment |
| Row closure | Second treatment | Treatment |
| Start of flowering | Third treatment | Treatment |
| Full flowering | Fourth treatment | |
| End of flowering | Fifth treatment | Treatment |
| Tuber bulking | Sixth, if needed | Treatment |
| Physiological maturity | Final treatment |
In standard programmes, the PHI is usually from 7 days for late blight products and from 14 days for Colorado potato beetle products (Galenika Fitofarmacija, potato protection). The drone covers every one of these stages.
What vegetable spraying by drone costs
Vegetable spraying costs €35 per hectare up to 20 ha, €32 for 20 to 100 ha and €30 above 100 ha. That is the field-crop base price (€25, €22 and €20) plus the standard €10 surcharge for vegetables. Foliar feeding costs the same. Travel within 50 km of Opovo is free; beyond that we charge €1 per extra kilometre, one way, per visit. You supply the product and the water.
Example: 15 ha of vegetables near Kovin (64 km from Opovo).
| 15 ha × €35 | €525 |
|---|---|
| First hectare free | −€35 |
| Travel (14 km beyond 50 km × €1) | €14 |
| Total | €504 |
If we agree three treatments on the same field in a season, you get 5% off; for five or more treatments the discount is 10%. You pay after each completed treatment.
What will spraying your field cost?
Pick the service, the crop and the place. You see the price at once, with travel and discounts.
Road distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Estimated price
Enter the area and choose the place to see the price here.
Questions about vegetable spraying by drone
Yes, provided the treatment is applied at the stage PIS and your agronomist recommend, ideally once 30 to 50% of the larvae have hatched (Galenika Fitofarmacija). Before every flight with insecticides we inform local beekeepers. You supply the product.
For greenhouses we only offer external shading, at the grower's request and with a product the grower supplies. We do not spray pesticides inside greenhouses.
The price is €35 (up to 20 ha), €32 (20 to 100 ha) and €30 (above 100 ha), with the €10 vegetable surcharge already included. New clients get the first hectare free on a first order of at least 10 ha. See the exact estimate for your location in the calculator.
Areas of 10 ha or more we treat anywhere in Serbia. Smaller fields, including plots of a few hundred square metres, we only take within 20 km of Opovo.
- First hectare free
- Free travel within 50 km
Book vegetable spraying by drone
Tell us the exact location, the area, the vegetable and its current growth stage. Our agronomist Nikola will propose a day based on PIS warnings and the wind forecast. Clients who book a package of 3 or more treatments get priority when scheduling during the season. The first hectare on an order of 10 ha is free.