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Drones in Crop Health: From Seed to Harvest

June 21, 2024

crop health monitoring using drones

The UAE Agricultural Market size is estimated at $3.31bn in 2024, forecast to grow to $4.09 by 2029. With the importance of this sector comes a need to find new and innovative ways to grow and develop, such as using drones on farms. Farm efficiency is vital for the sector to keep growing and contributing to the economy and investing in technologies such as drones can be transformative for agriculture businesses.

From counting camels to drone land surveying, this technology has the potential to positively enhance agricultural productivity. Here we’re specifically exploring drones equipped with multispectral sensors and their potential for improving agriculture performance and efficiency in a range of ways.

Drone technology is changing the face of agriculture, with many of its applications ensuring improved yields, revenues and more. Traditionally, managing crop yields and cycles is a laborious process, especially if you have large amounts of land to cover. With drone inspection and monitoring, farms can be closely monitored, and crops can be effectively managed without excessive manpower. Let’s explore the effectiveness of crop health monitoring using drones and how this can improve yield.

Crop Health Monitoring

Drones can be equipped with a range of specialist sensors. From thermal imaging sensors to advanced multispectral sensors, this additional technology allows the drones to quickly gather data on crop health so you can act accordingly such as making critical changes to your crop spraying and planting schedules. From detecting pest infestations and diseases early to simply counting plants, the drones can help you make better and quicker decisions about future crop cycles and planting.

Irrigation and Fertilisation

Beyond crop health monitoring using drones, drone technology can also be used to evaluate the quality of your land. Drones can map out your terrain and help you plan your irrigation system. This helps you and quickly spot any areas of inefficiency or problems. You can also use the data collected by drones to assess your crop fertilisation and disinfection. This will not only  minimise waste but also help crop fields reduce the environmental impacts through excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides.

Optimising Yield Techniques

Drone technology allows farmers to optimise their crop yields through precise monitoring of all land. As with monitoring crop health, drones collect data using means such as multispectral and hyperspectral cameras to give a true picture of the state of the crops and where improvements can be made. The ability of drones to rapidly cover large areas means they can spot abnormalities such as pest infestations and nutrient deficiencies faster and help you curate mitigation strategies more effectively. 

Time and Budget Savings

The initial integration of drone technology into any agricultural business may seem expensive, but the long-term benefits and the ROI far outweigh the cost With drones working on your farms, you can benefit from improvements across all aspects of crop monitoring and field management. No time is wasted on laborious manual field inspections and costs are saved as you can forecast exactly how much you need to spend on future crops, fertilisers and more.

FEDS drone-powered solutions offer a range of drone-powered services and products to the agricultural industry. We can recommend the best drone solutions for your agricultural needs and ensure you get the most out of the technology.