AGRICULTURAL DRONES A Peaceful Pursuit
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. 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 10 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.
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