Agriculture Drone Technology

Drone Applications for Agriculture and Farming

Drone use in nearly every industry is increasing rapidly, but its application in agriculture drone technology stands out. Reports predict the agricultural drone market could expand from its estimated $1.2 billion(USD) size in 2019 to an expected $4.8 billion(USD) total by 2024 – from scouting and security uses, drone use will soon become widespread on large and small-scale farms alike – often helping guide agronomic decisions via precision agriculture methods.

The use of drones  has quickly become an essential component of large scale precision farming operations in many regions, recording fields with drones to gather the necessary information that helps farmers plan planting and treatment regimens for optimal yields. According to reports, using precision farming systems has the ability to increase yields by as much as 5%; an impressive figure considering industry profit margins tend to be slimmer.

Learn About the Technologies for Agriculture Purposes

In this article we’ll take a closer look at where drone technologies are currently being employed on farms, the ways new agricultural drone technologies are being explored, as well as some steps and challenges associated with widespread adoption of drone use for agriculture purposes.

One application of drone imagery which has already proven extremely successful is for monitoring plant health. Drones equipped with special imaging equipment called Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) use detailed colour information to indicate plant health, allowing farmers to monitor crops as they grow so any issues can be dealt with quickly enough to save the plants from damage. This image shows how it all works.

Drones equipped with regular cameras are also being utilized by farmers to assess crop health. Many already rely on satellite imagery for monitoring crop growth, density, and colouration; however, satellite data accessing is costly and in many instances less effective than closer drone imaging. Drones fly close to fields so cloud cover and poor light conditions often matter less; satellite imaging only offers millimetre accuracy while drone imaging allows pinpoint accuracy allowing farmers to spot areas needing replanting immediately as well as detect disease or pest issues and treat immediately.

Field monitoring has become an invaluable way of checking soil and field conditions. Drones provide accurate field mapping including elevation information that allows growers to locate any irregularities within their fields, drainage patterns, wet/dry spots and drainage techniques more effectively than ever before. Some agricultural drone retailers and service providers also offer nitrogen level monitoring of soil using enhanced sensors; this enables precise application of fertilizers, eliminating poor growing spots while improving long-term soil health.

How Farming Can Benefit From Drone Technology

One of the newest and less-common applications of drones in agriculture is planting seeds with automated drone seeders. At present, most use is limited to forestry industries but more widespread use could soon follow. Planting with drones means hard to reach areas can be replanted without risk to workers, while teams of two operators and 10 drones capable of planting up to 400,000 trees daily could make planting much more efficient than any manual effort could.

Drone use for applying spray treatments has become common across Southeast Asia, with South Korea employing approximately 30% of their agriculture spraying needs being handled with drones. They’re an efficient way to reach hard-to-reach spots such as steep tea fields at higher elevations. Drone sprayers allow workers to avoid using dangerous backpack sprayers on fields, which is hazardous to their health. Drones deliver precise spray applications targeted towards specific areas for maximum efficiency and reduced chemical costs. At present, drone sprayer regulations vary between countries. In Canada they are not legal yet as more testing needs to be completed in order to understand their impact on spray drift. Some regulation proposals recommend only trained professionals be given responsibility for flying spray drones.

How Drone Security Can Enhance Farm Management

Drone security is an emerging industry outside of agriculture but also extremely beneficial to farm management. By using drones to monitor remote reaches of a farm without physically having to visit each one, more frequent checks of hard-to-reach areas can be carried out, saving both time and resources. Drone cameras provide an omnibus view of farm operations throughout the day to ensure operations run efficiently and to identify equipment that’s being utilized. Security drones can be deployed to monitor more valuable crops such as cannabis without employing more security personnel, saving both time and money by cutting costs on personnel costs. They’ve even proven useful in protecting farm animals by helping find lost or injured herd animals across grazing areas – previously monitoring these remote regions took hours of walking but is now completed in minutes!

Drones have already made significant strides toward revolutionizing agriculture and they will only increase in significance over time. While small farmers are finding them increasingly useful, more work needs to be done before drones become an integral part of every farmer’s equipment list – particularly in developing nations. Regulations surrounding drone use must be established and revised in many countries, while further research must be conducted into their effectiveness at performing certain tasks like pesticide application and spraying. Drones offer farmers many benefits, but it is essential they understand their limitations and functions before investing in expensive equipment.

The Impact of Drone Technology on Crop Scouting Efficiency

Drone technology has greatly increased the efficiency of traditional crop scouting for farmers; inspecting larger areas more quickly while gathering types of information never before possible. Drones can be given pre-planned flight paths or areas and used to quickly collect information on crop health, projected yields, potential issues and problems with irrigation or fertilizer levels and types – helping farmers increase yield while simultaneously decreasing input, saving resources and increasing sustainability.

Agriculture drones have emerged as a powerful driver of innovation: aiding the new generation of farmers automate crop spraying and seeding operations, observe crop growth over time and enhance efficiency for maximum outputs and productivity gains.

Drones and Agriculture: A Win-Win Combination

Of course, the drone weighing 150 pounds carrying 200 pounds of inputs also relies on electricity as it feeds itself rather than diesel and avgas fuels for its operations. But its costs of operation are lower and using decarbonizing electricity instead of fossil fuels makes a significant impactful statement about what we value in society today.

Specialist drones such as the DJI Agras range can automate crop spraying and seed spreading, while mapping data captured by drones such as the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise and Mavic 3 Multispectral can provide vital insights.

Drones provide faster coverage, real-time insights, greater precision than traditional methods and non-evasive crop protection than any other means. Drones offer invaluable data which enables farmers and growers to better plan and manage their farms – saving both time and money along the way.