Drone Spraying for Pistachios in California

The hull-split window is short and the canopy is tall, so coverage and timing both matter.

Drone application hits the hull-split window on schedule even when the orchard floor is wet, and the consistent flight height reaches the top of the pistachio canopy where a ground rig's spray can fall short.

Pistachio trees are tall and the canopy is open, so even coverage into the upper canopy is the challenge. A drone flies above the canopy and drives product down into it with a tuned droplet size.

Like almonds, pistachio orchards are irrigated and bordered; a drone flies when the ground is wet and keeps drift out of neighboring blocks.

Virelo flies pistachio orchards across the southern San Joaquin Valley, where the tall, open canopy demands precise droplet size and flight height to drive product down into the tree. Our pilots coordinate with your PCA to time the botryosphaeria and hull-split passes to the exact window, and our GPS-guided flights hold a consistent line so every row receives the same volume.

On irrigated pistachio ground, a drone flies when the orchard floor is too wet for a rig, which is often the day a spray is most needed. No tires means no compaction on the root zone, and the low flight height keeps product on the target block instead of drifting into the neighboring orchard, a real concern across the Valley where pistachio blocks sit side by side.