By Conrad M. Cariño

AN experiment conducted by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) demonstrated that utilizing drones for weed control is more efficient compared to the traditional method of applying chemicals, such as using backpack sprayers.

The experiment conducted by PhilRice and the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Research Outreach Station for Lowland Development showed that applying 20 liters of herbicide per hectare utilizing drones achieved 80 to 100 percent weed control without causing phytotoxicity, or plant damage caused by chemicals. This also matched the backpack sprayer in producing the highest grain yield. PhilRice is an agency under the DA.

Also, utilizing drones was easier over larger rice fields, as manual spraying proved tedious, especially over difficult terrain.

“This gives us a concrete basis for developing future standards and best practices in drone-based pest control,” said Weed Scientist Dindo King Donayre of PhilRice.

He added that the study is a key step in further developing of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach of PhilRice. The goal is to combine drone spraying with seeding and fertilizer application into a complete IPM system cutting production costs, ensuring safer and faster applications, reducing environmental impact, and delivering superior pest management.

The team behind the initiative will continue validating the results through trials in different sites, and study the economic viability of drones to ensure practical adoption by farmers.

Drones are among the technologies that PhilRice is advocating to make rice farming more efficient and modernized.

Published Date: October 9, 2025