Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Pest Surveillance, Monitoring and Management

Abstract

Currently, in most of the underdeveloped and developing countries of the world, unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are not being used often for several agricultural operations in the field. At times, pests periodically reach explosive population levels incurring severe crop losses to growers. Pests cause large-scale damage to crops leading to stunted growth and drastic reduction in the reproductive capacity of plants. In modern agricultural practices, the age of technology enables better management of crops. IOT, remote sensing and data analytic techniques have emerged as saviours of crop management. Remote sensing using UAVs can identify pests, targeted and managed. UAVs can fly in difficult and rugged terrains to capture high-resolution images, which not only enable identification of pests but also facilitate controlling pests. UAVS attached with cameras can resolve many issues in crop protection that conventional pest management tools cannot. Automated pest damage in cultivated tracts using UAVs has been realized.