Since we started flying unmanned systems in 2007 agricultural applications have been a primary activity for us. Some of our earliest drone testing flights were for mapping high value fruit and nut orchards in California. Since then the wide spread availability of small multi rotor has allowed for new agricultural applications to be developed.
Field Mapping
The primary benefit in our opinion of the use of drones in agriculture is “whole field mapping”. With relatively low cost per acre mapping entire fields during the growing season provides growers with insights into crop and field conditions which allow for the optimal application of inputs and the reduction of costs. The most basic form of field mapping is “visible light” or “RGB” mapping. The drone flies over the field taking hundreds of images which are processed and a two dimensional map is created that is geospatially corrected is created. Additionally near infrared (NIR) cameras can be utilized to better quantify vegetation density and nitrogen requirements of the crop can be tailored more accurately.
Fixed wing and multi rotor drones can be used for field mapping. Depending on the size of the field fixed wing drones can be more efficient compared to multi rotor units.
Crop Scouting
The use of drones for in season crop scouting and problem detection can help identify crop and field problems early allowing growers to take action before issues spiral out of control. Early season aerial scouting can help quantify the acreage that may need to be replanted due to water damage or issues in planting. During the season it can be used to identify weed, pest and weather damage and assist growers remediate the issues or prepare insurance claims.
