Drones in agriculture

How and where are drones used in agriculture?

Drones are taking more and more key positions in the implementation of agricultural tasks. This is one of the reasons for their growing demand to support agricultural work.

Data on drone sales shows that they are expected to increase from 174,000 units in 2017 up to 805,000 units in 2021. According to studies, the use of drones in agriculture is second only to their purchase for construction purposes. According to this, the use of drones in agriculture has led to profits of over 26 billion euro worldwide.

The reasons for these small aircraft to become increasingly indispensable and necessary is to ensure a rapid return on investment by reducing the additional costs of some monitoring and labor technologies, as well as generating higher crop productivity.

According to leading mechatronics researcher Jonathan Gill, working at Harper Adams University in England, it is possible to reimburse the cost of a high-tech drone in less than three years.

Drones are becoming more accessible and growing, covering a wide range of applications. This includes mapping, crop monitoring, detection of plant diseases, and spraying of crops.

Current uses of drones in agriculture

Planning a program for precise choice of fertilizers

Through agricultural drones, you can identify areas with lower nitrogen content in the soil. The sensors on their cameras can be calibrated and help to more clearly analyze the green areas.

Flying operations start from the late winter with drones taking hundreds of images of the crop’s developing canopy. The resulting images are connected and a map is formed, and the software establishes where the cultures with an early growth pattern are located. The information collected allows to effectively forecast the needs of the crops and to plan a fertilizer program that meets the necessary nutritional characteristics in the different areas of the field.

Weeds and disease control programs

Through techniques such as mapping, arable crops can be analyzed and weeds and diseases found in different parts of the field. The agricultural drone can provide feedback to farmers on the different types of plants and in which of them a disease has developed. The innovative techniques can analyze and treat with great precision the crops in which there is a problem. This is a very effective method for marking disease-infected species and orchards.

Mapping trees and land

Owners of orchards can use agricultural drones by collecting up-to-date and accurate information about the distances between trees and rows of plant species. The small helpers can also benefit people in forestry by granting easy access to remote and difficult for covering areas.

Also, areas for administrative purposes can be measured by the information collected during mapping. The information can be sent to machine software. In this way, the machine operator can avoid hazards such as electrical cables, flooded areas, changes in water currents, and others.

The advantage of agricultural drones over other terrestrial methods of checking and collecting information is that they save time, resources, and labor.

Spraying crops

Larger drones are also able to apply small amounts of pesticides or fertilizers on crops, orchards, and wooded areas.

The benefits of spraying drones are:

• Precise spraying of the crop;
• Spraying of higher crops (such as corn) ;
• Access to difficult terrain ;
• Spraying under or around poles of power lines.
• Point spraying of small disease-infected areas or pest populations;
• Lower costs over time, lower wasted materials for spraying and fertilizing and fuel ;
• Reduced risks to the environment and workers.

Through radar systems and the reading of accurate GPS coordinates, a predetermined route can be set for the drone to complete. Radar systems have forward and downward vision sensors, which helps maintain a sufficiently low flight altitude and thus the machines are close enough above the harvest and the probability of loss of pesticides for spraying is minimized. Thanks to the obstacle avoidance software, the drone can bypass various objects, as well.

The latest addition to the DJI Agras series is now available to us at COPTER.BG.

Agricultural drone DJI Agras T20

Ѕресіfісаtіоnѕ:

• 20L Ѕрrау Таnk;
• Аutоnоmоuѕ Ніgh-Рrесіѕіоn Ореrаtіоn;
• ІР67 Rаtіng;
• Оmnіdіrесtіоnаl Dіgіtаl Rаdаr;
• Rеаl-Тіmе Vіѕuаl Моnіtоrіng Ѕуѕtеm;
• АІ Іntеllіgеnt Аgrісulturе Еngіnе.

Іn Тhе Вох:

• Аgrаѕ Т20 (Wіth Ѕрrауіng Ѕуѕtеm аnd Рrореllеr Ноldеrѕ) х 1;
• Іntеllіgеnt Flіght Ваttеrу х 1;
• Іntеllіgеnt Сhаrgеr х 1;
• Rеmоtе Соntrоllеr х 1;
• Rеmоtе Соntrоllеr Lаnуаrd х 1;
• Роwеr Аdарtеr х 1;
• WВ37 Rеmоtе Соntrоllеr Іntеllіgеnt Ваttеrу х 1;
• Іntеllіgеnt Ваttеrу Сhаrgіng Нub х 1;
• Сhаrgіng Нub АС Роwеr Саblе х 1;
• UЅВ-С Саblе х 1;
• UЅВ Сhаrgеr х 1;
• RТК Dоnglе х 1;
• 4G Dоnglе х 1;
• Рrореllеr Ноldеr х 1.

For more information about this unique drone, click here.

In the future, agricultural drone technology is expected to grow more and more with wide-ranging agricultural applications. Follow our page for the latest news in the world of agricultural drones. Check out all of the аgricultural drone models that we offer here. Contact us if you need a consultation.