Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles within the Field of Precision Agriculture

The development and widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), typically identified as drones, in the last decade have enabled the acquisition of data with exceptional spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution. The use of UAVs in precision agriculture (PA) has emerged as a significant catalyst for economic growth. PA, often known as precision farming, is an agricultural approach characterized by the execution of management activities with utmost accuracy on the basis of both temporal timing and spatial position. The use of technology in PA is often seen in the automation of agricultural operations, which serves to improve diagnostics, decision-making, and overall performance. The origins of conceptual research on PA and its first practical applications may be traced back to the late 1980s. Researchers in the area of PA are now engaged in efforts to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) for comprehensive farm control, with the primary objective of boosting input use for profit maximization and waste reduction. This article provides a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the many applications of UAVs in the field of agriculture. There are three major categories of UAVs applications: a) multi-UAV applications, b) spraying applications, and c) monitoring applications.