Sectors
Precision agriculture, from scouting to application.
Applied uniformly, every input reaches ground that does not need it. A scouting drone shows where it is needed. It covers the field quickly and identifies variation the eye cannot see: crop stress, nutrient deficiency, disease onset, drainage failure and establishment gaps, in many cases up to ten days before symptoms appear to the trained eye.
Where it applies
- Crop scouting. Field survey that finds problems early and maps them to the areas affected.
- Targeted application. Liquid and granular product applied at variable rate against the survey data, to the areas that require it.
- Seeding. Cover crops, catch crops, grass and overseeding, placed without a machine pass across the field.
- Difficult ground. Treatment where waterlogged, soft or newly established ground would not carry a sprayer, since the drone carries no axle load.
- Biological pest control. Trichogramma released by drone against the European corn borer, at up to 36 hectares an hour, in place of a chemical pass.
The economic case
- Fertiliser reduced by 30 to 40 per cent where variable rate application replaces uniform spreading.
- Spray carrier volume reduced by up to 90 per cent.
- Around 5 per cent of the field recovered from wheelings and compaction, with no axle load and no yield penalty carried into later seasons.
- Treatment applied at the point of maximum effect rather than when ground conditions allow.
Proven results
ABZ Innovation's field data supports this. In Tokaj vineyards, drone application cut operating cost by half, pesticide use by 54 per cent, water by 90 per cent and carbon emissions by 82 per cent. On sunflowers, water use fell by 95 per cent. A wheat trial with MATE recorded a yield gain of 0.8 tonnes a hectare from one foliar treatment flown at flowering. Figures are ABZ Innovation's own, and results vary with crop, season and conditions.
What we provide
Scouting drones that capture the data, agronomy reports generated from it, and the application systems that act on the results.
Pilot training is available as an additional service, and we can advise on preparing the operations manual and supporting documentation required for CAA authorisation.
Parts are held in the United Kingdom, repairs are carried out in our own workshop, and the enhanced warranty option provides priority servicing and maintenance, with loan equipment where parts are unavailable.
Scouting as a service
Where you want the data but would rather not run the drone yourself, scouting is available as a managed service through FarmingByDrone.
Regulatory position
All commercial agricultural operations require an Operational Authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority, granted through UK SORA since April 2025. Where the product is a plant protection product, a permit from the Health and Safety Executive and an approved Application Plan are also required, obtained separately. Nutritional products, biostimulants, biological controls, pelleted fertiliser and seed require only the authorisation.
The Operational Authorisation is held by the operator and not the supplier. The Bionic Eye assists clients in attaining their own.
Tell us the ground, the cropping and what you currently apply. We will advise on the survey and application systems, the approvals required and a realistic timescale.