From soil health analysis to precision irrigation: Here’s how drones are changing the landscape of agriculture

To solve age-old farming problems, advanced technology is a pre-requisite. UAVs (Unmanned aerial vehicles) are one of such technologies that are accelerating modernization and innovation across the farming sector as drones have an advantage of extensive coverage.

From increased yields to integrated GIS mapping, let’s see how UAVs are being used to make agricultural practices more efficient and affordable:

Irrigation

Drones equipped with thermal cameras or microwave sensing technology could help farmers identify irrigation issues and optimize water use, thereby tackling the issue of global water scarcity.

Pesticide Spraying

Unmanned aerial vehicles fitted with programmable controllers and pesticide spraying equipment not only save time and labor costs but also safeguards farmers from coming into contact with various harmful chemicals.

Field Soil Analysis

Hi-tech drones provide real-time as well as precise analysis of soil’s health. Through this cutting-edge technology, one can discern issues surrounding soil quality, nutrient management, or dead soil zones.

In developed nations, drones can be seen scouting over farm fields, collecting essential geographical data and transmitting such information in real time.

With their bird’s eye view and sophisticated sensors, a drone can also be helpful in generating prescription maps, optimizing the zonal efficiency of fields, detecting early indicators of plant stressors, among others.

Planting Trees

Several nations use drone technology to shower seed bombs in a bid to green inaccessible terrains, fragmented or disconnected areas with no forest routes for normal plantation activities. The main benefit of using drones is that it can accomplish the task at a much faster rate and facilitate periodic monitoring of the sown area as the paths followed by UAVs are geotagged.