Agricultural Drones

A Peaceful Pursuit

K. R. Krishna

• Publisher: Apple Academic Press
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781351764308
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Botany
• Index: Biological Sciences

Agricultural drones are expected to revolutionize the way we conduct agronomic procedures and maintain natural vegetation on earth. This book explores the increasing importance of the role of aerial robots in managing agricultural farms and natural resources. Agricultural Drones: A Peaceful Pursuit provides a wealth of information on drone usage in agriculture. The book discusses the advanced sensors and imaging capabilities of drones that give farmers new ways to increase yields and reduce crop damage. An introductory chapter provides historical data, with details about various models of drones as well as the most recent and popular agricultural drones in usage. The book goes onto look at such topics as the use of drones for soil fertility, production agronomy, irrigation, weed control, pest and disease control, grain yield forecasting, and economic advantages from drone use. This timely and useful volume will be a valuable resource for faculty, agricultural extension officers, and farmers and farm consultancy agencies. This book would also serve as an excellent textbook for students in agriculture, engineering, geography, etc.

Key features:

• outlines the advantages of using drones in agriculture, such as for the management of soil fertility, the study of natural resources and vegetation, the maintenance of adequate irrigation, and the control of weeds and pests

• covers the economic advantages of using drones in agriculture

• examines the regulatory aspects of agricultural drones

• provides actual examples of drone usage in agriculture

CONTENTS

About the Author

Preface

Acknowledgment

About the Book

List of Abbreviations

1. Drones in Agriculture

2. Drones to Study Natural Resources and Vegetation

3. Drones in Soil Fertility Management

4. Drones in Production Agronomy

5. Drones in Irrigation and Water Management During Crop Production

6. Drones to manage weeds in crop fields

7. Drones in crop disease and pest control

8. Drones in crop yield estimation and forecasting

9. Economic and regulatory aspects of agricultural drones

10. Drones in agriculture: summary and future course

Index

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. K. R Krishna has authored several books on International Agriculture, encompassing topics in agroecosystems, field crops, soil fertility and crop management, precision farming and soil microbiology. More recent titles deal with topics such agricultural robotics, drones and satellite guidance to improve soil fertility and crop productivity. This volume deals in detail about agricultural drones. Agricultural drones are set to reduce farm drudgery and revolutionize the global food generating systems.

He is a member of several professional organizations such as International Society for Precision Agriculture, the American Society of Agronomy, the Soil Science Society of America, the Ecological Society of America, the Indian Society of Agronomy, the Soil Science Society of India, etc.

PREFACE

Agricultural drones are set to revolutionize global food generating systems. Agricultural drones are already flocking and hovering over farms situated in a few agrarian zones. Their usage is still rudimentary in many other regions, but drones are destined to engulf almost every cropping belt. They are set to offer a very wide range of services to farmers and reduce drudgery. Drones make crop production more efficient and economically advantageous. Drone’s greatest advantage is in providing accurate data to farmers, which is actually picked from vantage locations above the crop. It was never possible for the past several millennia. The imagery and digital data that drone’s sensors offer is simply not feasible using human scouts, particularly at that rapidity, accuracy and cost. Drones offer data about status of crop and perform tasks such as spraying liquid fertilizers and pesticides at relatively rapid pace, and they offer greater accuracy compared to farm workers. They effectively replace usual human skilled scout’s and farm workers’ drudgery in fields.

This book is about agricultural drones that are destined to reduce human drudgery to its lowest limits and yet offer better crop productivity, in any of the agrarian zones. These ‘agricultural drones’ are contraptions for ‘peaceful pursuits’. They offer automation of farms, so that in future, fewer farmers will manage larger farms. They inspect large farms of over 10,000 ha in a matter few hours, which is beyond human capabilities. They are less costly, versatile and offer a wide range of services related to farm imagery, crop status, irrigation needs and pest attacks in farms. All these are achieved using sensors (cameras) that pick digital data and are attached electronically with computer stations, iPads and push buttons.

Drones are among the most recent gadgets to invade the agrarian regions of the world. They seem to spread into all the different agro-ecoregions of the world and dominate during accomplishment of a variety of agronomic procedures. Along with ground robots (e.g., GPS-guided autonomous planters, sprayers, weeders and combines) and regular satellite guidance, they could offer total automation of farm production procedures. Drones are not expected to clog the skyline above the farms/crops. They are required to fly past crops at low altitudes perhaps a couple of times at each critical stage of the crop, to obtain ortho-images and/or spray chemicals. Drones are expected to amalgamate well into farmers’ chores and get counted as yet another gadget such as tractors, sprayers or combine harvesters.

Agricultural drones are peaceful to the hilt. Drones do not disturb soil neither its biotic factors nor the physicochemical properties. They do not disturb the standing crop, except when copters fly close to crop canopy inducing leaves to flutter a bit. Drones do not touch the crop. They quietly analyse and collect data staying at a distance from the crops, using sensors. Drones operate above the crop in the atmosphere. At the same time, soil type or crop has least influence into their functioning or efficiency in terms of gathering digital information or spraying herbicides and other chemicals. Drones could be deployed in any agrarian zone, be it wet tropics, arid and dryland stretches, hilly mountain farming terrains, or flat/undulated prairies with cereal stretches. They are expected to help farm managers with unmatched accuracy and efficiency compared to other methods presently in vogue. On a different front, we are making much noise about a stray drifting drone that may be potentially used to spy neighbours. Regulations for usage of drones, in general, and those used in farms are being finalized in United States of America and other nations.

Drones are being employed to detect droughts, nutrient dearth in field, disease and pest attacks on variety of crops grown in agrarian regions. Drones are expected to throng the agricultural fields worldwide, rather very soon. ‘Agricultural drones’ and their operators have a great role to play in the protection of crops, crop belts and food security. Drones could become a worldwide phenomenon sooner than we anticipate. We have to note that global crop protection using drones to scout for diseases/pests periodically, as a routine, is a clear possibility. When this is followed by pesticide spray at variable-rates, it is directly related to food security and nourishment of billions of humans. Consistent with the theme of this book, ‘Agricultural Drones’ bestow peace on earth through better grain harvests worldwide. They scout cropping belts rapidly and work towards better distribution of fertilizers, pesticides and water in crop fields. Global crop production is expected to become much easier through the use of drones. Ultimately, drones could be a boon to human kind by allowing us to achieve higher grain harvests. Drones could minimize human drudgery in fields markedly.

Agricultural drones are at the threshold of spreading into every nook and corner of North American farming zones. Drones have already caught the imagination and secured a role in fertile farming belts found in Europe. They say, in major farming nations of Europe, such as Germany, France, Hungary and Poland, the agricultural sector is already ‘ploughed-up’ to receive drones in large number. Drones are expected to initiate a technological revolution through automation of European farms. Drones have the potential to flourish in Asian farming belts as well. Here, we may have to be shrewd enough to consider drones and drone technology as an aspect not too closely connected with precision farming. The tendency to associate drone technology with precision farming, in general, has to be really weighed out well and done carefully. Drone technology applied independently has its ability to impart excellent advantages to farmers and agricultural researchers.

This book has ten chapters. An introductory chapter offers historical information about drones, their development and use in military, civilian surveillance, transportation and natural resource monitoring. It also lists and briefly describes various types of drones and their specifications. Further, a jist of our current knowledge about drones are provided. Chapters 2-9 offer greater details and discussions that concentrate on various aspects of natural resources and agricultural crop production. Agricultural drones are employed to obtain aerial imagery and accomplish a range of agronomic procedures in the crop fields. Drones are also used to detect drought, floods, soil erosion and crop stand. Chapters 3-7 deal with above aspects in detail and offer most recent information. Chapter 8 deals with one of the most important aspects of farming, namely yield forecast, using aerial imagery. Drones are used regularly to derive digital images of fields, crops, their growth, grain formation and maturity. Crop maladies, if any, are also imaged by drones. Digital images of crop growth and grain formation for several seasons are collated, layered and studied in conjunction with soil type, its fertility status, pest/disease incidence and drought incidence. Finally, computers with appropriate software are employed to decide agronomic procedures, plus, develop a grain yield forecast for the current season. Chapter 9 deals with economic aspects of agricultural drones. The cost of a drone unit, its operation, servicing and eventual fiscal advantages to farmers are also discussed. Farmers employing drones in their farms and other commercial settings have to observe certain rules and regulations. Firstly, they have to register the drone (vehicle) with appropriate governmental agency. Some of these topics are also stated in Chapter 9. Chapter offers a summary of aspects discussed in the entire volume. It also lists some unique points about the way, drones have moved from exclusively military zones to agricultural crop fields and natural vegetation monitoring.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

During the course of preparation of this volume on agricultural drones, several of my colleagues, friends and staff from agricultural research institutions, universities, and agricultural dr...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents