Abstract—India ranks poorly in farm productivity due to factors including lack of market-appropriate mechanization and other technologies, use of non-standard practices, and growing shortage and cost of farm labor. This paper discusses research and development of UAV-based crop-protection agri-solutions which have been developed and optimized based on local market requirements, such as small land holding sizes and tropical climate operating conditions. In particular, low-volume aerial spraying techniques for target crops (Tea, Bengal gram, Groundnut, and Paddy) and their field validation results are presented. Key results include efficacy, phytotoxicity, efficiency, and water conservation. Currently, commercial field pilots are underway to identify and validate appropriate business model(s) to offer UAV aerial spraying agri-service across India.
 

Index Terms—UAV aerial spraying, precision agriculture, crop protection, low volume spray

Cite: Piyush Mishra, Vikas K. T., Madhu K. S., Babu K. S., Kendappa G., and Sudhakar S., "Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Crop Protection," Journal of Advanced Agricultural Technologies, Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 340-345, December 2018. Doi: 10.18178/joaat.5.4.340-345