By Mayura Mandalkar
Farms.com Editorial Team
New technology and update rules may soon give farmers a new perspective on their farms. It is hardly possible to get a picture of the farm soil type by just passing through fields. During the growing season, it is difficult to know if the crop needs extra fertilizer or help against pest with fungicides or insecticides. Sometime a healthy looking plant is more danger of being attacked so proactive protection programs can generate the highest yields and profits. The human eye can only detect so much, especially from the ground. In the future, farmers armed with drones, sensors will be able to generate aerial images and data from their farm fields to determine what is going on and what to do about it.
UAVs are often referred to as drones. The majority of drones are used in non-agriculture applications like government and military, but today it’s emerging in farming business. There are a wide range of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) types and manufacturers and it is generally a simple, high tech flying device, which is flown remotely and a valuable sensing tool that can increase profitability and productivity of agriculture. Data collection with UAVs can be quick and a cost effective solution for farmers and agronomists.
Types of UAV
1.Fixed Wing
• Simple structure
• High speed
• Advantage for long flights
• Ideal for aerial survey
2. Rotary Wing
• Complex structure
• Lower speed and shorter flights
• Ability of vertical takeoff and landing and has greater flexibility
FAA Regulations for Drones are still being developed, so commercial use is very restrictive.
• Fly during daylight only
• Max speed 100mph; Max weight 55lbs, Max altitude 500ft
• Must be directly visible to drone operator
• Check the regulations before you purchase a drone for commercial use.
Eligibility of operator
• At least 17 years old
• Obtained operating certificate
• Have passed initial recurring test
The Potential Benefits of UAVs, Drones for the Agricultural producer
• Crop health monitoring and imaging, such as NDVI, IR
• Collects data that cannot be seen by the human eye with coverage of large area of farm field
• Monitoring irrigation equipment
• Weed mapping can be done with weed identification by using sensors and image processing
• Monitoring cattle herds
• We can get crop growth stages, crop yield status
• Saves producers time during scouting their crops
• Easy to use and handle
• Time saving for farm field scouting tasks
• For tracking plant pathogens or insects
• For optimum timing of application of fertilizer to specific
• Sensors can provide analysis of soil variation across a field.
• Scouting high structures such as elevators and grain bins.
• Beautiful video images of the farm and machinery during planting and harvest.