INTRODUCTON
• Drones are formally known as unmanned aerial vehicle which is
essentially a flying robot.
• It can be controlled by either pilot from the ground or it can be
autonomous.
• The drones which are used for agriculture purpose are called as
agriculture drone.
• In current scenario it is also being used for surveillance, traffic
monitoring, Weather monitoring etc.
SENSORS USED IN AGRICULTURAL DRONES
VISUAL SENSOR- Aerial Mapping
Plant counting.
Surveying.
THERMAL SENSOR- Heat signature detection
Live stock detection
Water source detection.
Emergency response.
LIDAR SENSOR- Useful in 3D digital surface modelling.
Surface variation detection.
Flood Mapping.
MULTISPECTRAL SENSOR- Plant health measurement.
Water quality assessment.
Vegetation Index.
Plant Counting.
HYPERSPECTRAL SENSOR- Plant health measurement.
Water quality assessment.
Vegetation index calculation.
HOW ARE DRONES BEING USED IN FARM MONITORING
MONITORING FIELD CONDITION:
Drones provide accurate field mapping.
Having information on field elevation is useful in determining
drainage patterns and wet/dry spots which allow for more efficient
watering techniques.
MONITORING PLANT HEALTH
• Drones equipped with special imaging equipment called NDVI.
• Software analysis can be used to change values in order to reflect the
specific crop type and even in which stage of life a specific crop is in.
• We are able to measure plant health using drone imagery because
plants reflect light differently than unhealthy plants.
PLANTING AND SEEDING
• Automated drone seeders are mostly being used in forestry industries.
• Planting with drones means very hard to reach areas can be replanted
without endangering workers.
SPRAY APPLICATON
• Crop spraying drones can carry large liquid storage reservoirs, can be
operated more safely.
• It can be operated and maintained at a fraction of the cost compared
to crop dusters.
DRONE POLINATION
• Researchers in the Netherlands and Japan are developing small drones
that are capable of pollinating plants without damaging them.
• The next step is to create autonomous pollinating drones that will
work and monitor crop health without constant instruction from
operators.
DRONE IRRIGATION
• Using microwave sensing drones are able to capture very accurate soil
health information.
• Water can be distributed in a field in the most efficient way in an
effort to conserve resources.
CONCLUSION
• Drones have already vastly altered the agricultural industry and will
continue to grow in the coming years.
• Agriculture drones can be used to anything from precision agriculture,
to efficiently dispersing weed control or fertilizers, to optimizing field
management.