Former Washington State University scientist Dr. Michio Kise shows the multipurpose autonomous sprayer, under development by Dr. Fran Pierce, to Washington growers at a winter grape meeting. Using a battery powered all-terrain vehicle, Dr. Fran Pierce has developed a prototype autonomous sprayer for targeted pest control that is ready for testing this year . Pierce, director of Washington State University’s Center for Precision Agricultural Systems works on a variety of different precision technologies for tree fruit, grapes, and irrigated cropping systems. Pierce said that automated pest control tools have several potential benefits for tree fruit and grape growers—reducing labor costs, […]