The commercial application of drones continues to spread across industries with every day that comes. Thanks to advancements in technology and subsequent declining costs of operation, it is becoming cheaper and more practical to incorporate the use of drones in our daily lives.
One of the sectors that continues to benefit from drone technology is the Agricultural industry. According to experts, quadcopters are becoming an indispensable tool for agriculture practitioners around the globe. This post looks at some of the benefits drone applications have had on Agriculture.
Benefits of Drones to Agriculture
Accurate Data Collection
Smart farming is driven by data and this is what allows farmers to come up with improved farming practices. For a long time, extracting this data has involved physical visits to fields but thanks to drones, experts can now do this remotely from home or even labs.
The best commercial drones are equipped with smart sensors and high-grade cameras that enable them to capture and transmit this data in the blink of an eye. Whether you want to examine the soil structure, soil type, or soil distribution, this can all be done efficiently with the use of drones.
Needless to say, the process is not only faster but also more precise and more cost-effective.
Improved Irrigation
The reality of climate change has proven to be one of the biggest impediments to agricultural productivity in modern times, and farmers have to deal with a growing list of obstacles such as drought. Irrigation is becoming a go-to practice for planters who are faced with longer and unpredictable droughts.
With the help of drone technology, plant irrigation is becoming more effective by the day. This is because quadcopters are equipped with sensors that can scrutinize the water quality of the farm and determine which sections of the land require more water. Newer drones like Mini 2 and its alternatives, even though you can’t really call them agricultural drones, are great choice for this as they have a long flight time and excellent camera performance
Agricultural experts can use this information to make proper adjustments in water level and create peak growing conditions for specific crops; all while utilizing resources optimally with no wastage.
Precise Crop Spraying
Improved farming practices are beginning to use low-cost drones in place of humans, vehicles, and planes when it comes to spraying crops. This serves to reduce human contact with pesticides, fertilizers, as well as other harmful substances. Drones have proven that they can handle this task much faster and efficiently!
This makes them a great alternative for farms that still depend on manual labor. Drones are especially critical when it comes to spot treatment. The sensors and cameras they are equipped with allow for accurate detection of infected areas on the crops.
This means that only the parts that need spraying are sprayed while the healthy parts are not interfered with. It also means a reduction in wastage of chemicals and, therefore, costs.
Better Crop Surveillance
Commercial agriculture involves vast tracts of land that pose a great physical challenge to inspect on foot and an economical nightmare to examine using machines. Luckily, drones can easily cover large farms in the shortest time possible and without costing as much.
Thanks to drone applications like agriculture mapping, farmers get to remain in the know when it comes to the health of their crops in various sections of the farm and pinpoint the areas that need more attention for optimal productivity.
Drones have infrared cameras that assess the state of plants and can estimate light absorption rates, as well as other crucial parameters. Using all this data, experts can effect the relevant measures to improve the yield of their crops.
Reduced Environmental Pollution
Agricultural runoff as a result of using excess industrial fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides is a major threat to the health of biodiversity. These harmful chemicals easily find their way into rivers and oceans, leading to grave implications for the entire ecosystem.
Using drones helps to minimize pollution as only the needed amounts of chemicals are sprayed. Furthermore, drones are battery-powered and don’t use fuels, unlike trucks and planes. This means that there are no emissions into the atmosphere and no damage to the ozone layer.
Conclusion
As drone technology continues to evolve, players in the agricultural sector can expect to greatly benefit from these amazing machines. One would even argue that soon, experts will be able to use autonomous systems to monitor farms and update all the information in real-time.
We’ve considered just a fraction of the numerous benefits that drone applications have brought to the farming community. From the look of things, we can confidently conclude that drones have the potential to meet various challenges facing the agricultural sector far into the future!
