Chinese Drone Maker Plows into Agriculture

By NEWLEY PURNELL in Singapore and
JACK NICAS in San Francisco
Updated Nov. 27, 2015 6:37 p.m. ET

China’s SZ DJI Technology Co., the world’s top consumer-drone maker, is setting its sights on the agriculture industry with the launch of a crop sprayer that will test whether farming is fertile ground for drone technology.

DJI, which helped kick-start the global craze for drones with its $1,000 easy-to-fly devices, has unveiled an eight-rotor drone priced at roughly $15,000 that is designed to spray pesticides on crops, a spokesman said. DJI said the drone, which has a 2.6-gallon spray tank and a typical takeoff weight of about 49 pounds, can fly for about 12 minutes.

It can spray pesticides on seven to 10 acres of farmland an hour, depending on how much it needs to climb, descend or turn to follow the terrain. Read more