UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE SYSTEMS IN CROP PRODUCTION A COMPENDIUM (HB 2020) Hardcover

Responding to the increasing interest in using aerial robots (UAVs or drones) for agricultural crop production, a method transforming farming globally, this book offers a thorough review of 250 UAVs and their potential to improve the profitability, yield, and quality of crops. Recent trends show a surge in the production and use of agricultural drones, with significant investments in agro-drone startups in recent years, particularly in North America, Europe, China, and the Far East, leading to a wide variety of UAV models. While some drones are versatile, others are specialized, and many are affordable. Given the vast number of drone models available (over 1200), farmers and agricultural experts face the challenge of selecting the most suitable options. This book addresses this by examining the most practical drones and providing key details about each, including the manufacturer, cost, advantages, and disadvantages. It covers their technical specifications, suitability for different agricultural tasks, past performance on farms, and potential benefits for farmers. The book includes various types of drones such as fixed-wing, hybrid VTOL helicopters, multi-copters, and tilted-wing models. It even features a few drones primarily designed for military or recreational use that could be easily adapted for farming. The reviews compare the capabilities of these UAVs, such as capturing aerial images of crops, providing spectral analyses to gather valuable data on crop growth, and their ability to measure crop canopy temperature (water stress index), determine grain maturity, and much more.